Trusting in God as we go out into the Deep Waters of Life
Last week in our Gospel as we heard the calling of the apostles, Jesus got into Peter’s boat and instructed him to go out into the deep water, and they caught an abundance of fish.
This week in our first reading, Jeremiah hits this point home again saying “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Trust is also a key component of so many of our great saints.
St. John of the Cross, on being informed by the cook in his monastery that there was no food for the following day, answered, “Leave to God the care of providing food. Tomorrow is far enough off; He is well able to take care of us.” The next morning there was still no food — until a wealthy benefactor came to the door. He explained that he had dreamed the previous night that the monks might be in need and had brought enough food and supplies to sustain them, just in case that was so.
Other saints had similar experiences. In the early nineteenth century, Bl. Anne-Marie Javouhey established a religious congregation, over the strong objections of her father. She and the other sisters were running an orphanage, and when they ran out of money for food one day, Anne-Marie went into church to pray: “I need help. I know that I have been imprudent, and perhaps I have gone beyond Your will in many ways. But I have done it for the children. They are more Yours than they are mine. If I have made mistakes, punish me — not them. I beg You, don’t forsake them. Please, please help.” Anne-Marie then heard the voice of the Lord clearly: “Why have you come here to expose your doubts? Have you no faith in me? Have I ever disappointed you? Go back to the children.” There with a wagonload of food was her father, who said, “I don’t know why I am doing this, but I suppose I can’t let you starve.” Anne-Marie realized that God had not only tested her faith, but had also confirmed His loving care for her — for indeed, moving her unwilling father to bring assistance for all the orphans and sisters was perhaps a greater miracle than if He had stocked the pantry shelves with food suddenly created out of nothing.
And Saint John Bosco, whose feast was just a few weeks ago, amazed many people by managing to care for a large number of orphans and other boys apparently without sufficient resources. Each time his assistants told him that dire financial problems could no longer be put off, he assured them, “God will provide” — and in every instance, he was right.
The first sacrament we celebrate in the Catholic Church is Baptism, where we place ourselves in God’s hands. And in a sense all of the other sacraments do that too. We trust God loves us so we welcome Him in Communion; we trust His Spirit will strengthen us so we ask for the Holy Spirit in Confirmation; we trust He will be with us through our suffering in the Anointing of the Sick; and we trust He will always love and forgive us which is why we celebrate confession. Even our vocations of Holy Orders and Marriage take place in a church, before a cross, where we are surrendering to God and asking Him to guide us, even though we of course have no idea what the rest of our lives will bring. But one thing we do know for certain is that God is there, and always will be.
This is what Jeremiah stresses to us this week in the first reading. He exhorts the people to trust in God. So how can we make this a key part of our spiritual journey?The first step is asking ourselves a question, which is who or what is it that we worship? Most of us might say God, but if we look deeper, sometimes our actions would point to something else like the ego, being a busybody, or being noticed by others. When Jeremiah says cursed is one who seeks his strength in flesh, he’s getting at not literal flesh but anything other than God. Anything else we put our energy or worship into will leave us feeling dissatisfied, because eventually the money, the power, or being in the limelight will come to an end. God’s love never will.
The second step is to have an ongoing relationship with God. We often sing at Mass the hymn “How Can I keep from Singing” with the lines “no storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock I’m clinging.” We cling to God by knowing we can always turn to Him. So that’s why having the ongoing relationship with God is so important – going to Mass, praying daily, coming to spend time in Adoration or celebrate the Stations of the Cross in Lent; and living out the faith through helping those in need. By going back to the well we can grow closer to God daily.
Lastly, all of us can be spiritually blind at times, and this is where we need to heed the prophets God sends to us. Jeremiah was a prophet to his people who had lost their way. Guiding us through life are people God gives us. Sometimes through stubbornness we can fear asking for help or listening to others. But no matter what our age, it’s important we recognize the prophets God gives us who give us guidance about what to do and what not to do, for they so often lead us through moments of blindness in live and ultimately can help us on our journey to heaven.
Life is not easy, and there is many a storm. But in those moments where we are challenged, let’s never forget we are not in the boat alone. God is with us, as are other people, and ultimately no matter where life may lead us, He will help us find the way home.
Have a blessed week, ~Fr. Paul
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February 2025