Today's Gospel

The Recipe for Peace

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we explore the genius of the gospel and look for practical ways to bring it into our lives. Today's gospel reading is from Mark chapter 4, verses 35 through 41. On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was in the boat. And other boats were with them. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that the boat was filling. But He was in the stern asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace, be still." And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

So each day, we're looking for a word or a phrase, or an idea that the Holy Spirit uses to capture our attention. What jumps out of me today is these three words, what Jesus says to the sea. He says, "Peace, be still." So we think about the story, and the waves are getting up and crashing against the boat, and the boat's filling. And there's chaos, right? There's chaos. There's turmoil. And that's our lives, I think, very often. And in that chaos, and in that turmoil, we turn to God and say, "God, what's going on?" And Jesus speaks to our life, okay? So think of your life as the sea. And Jesus speaks to your life, and He says, "Peace, be still." And there's a connection, right? There's a connection between stillness and peace. What happened to the ocean then? What happened to the sea? There was a great calm, okay? So the wind ceased, the waves died down, and there was a great calm. And so when we yearn for that in our lives, I mean, there's the recipe.

Our lives, chaos, turmoil, lots going on. And Jesus speaks into our life. He says, "Peace, be still." And when we do get still and when we do get quiet, there is a great calm. There is peace that comes upon us, and there is a great calm. And so I talk a lot about the classroom of silence. I talk a lot about spending time in the classroom of silence and the benefits of that. But today, what strikes me is our need for stillness. I think we do live in a frenetic world. We do live in a manic culture. And I think one of the things about slowing down the speed of joy, when I was writing the book and trying to live the book, was this need to pause, this need to be still. And so I encourage you today, find a few minutes, and yes, find a quiet place, but also just still yourself. Just try to be as still as possible for a few minutes. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.