The Feast of Saint Irenaeus | Tuesday 28 June 2022

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Today is Tuesday the 28th June, the feast of Saint Irenaeus.

Paul Zach sings, ‘Nothing to Fear’. Can you hear the Lord singing these words over you?

When you pass through the waters

I will be with you

And the depths of the rivers

Shall not overwhelm

When you walk through the fire

You will not be burned

I am the Lord, I am the Lord

And there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear

There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear

For I am with you always

In the depths of your sorrow

I wept beside you

When you walked through the shadow

I drew you near

Yesterday, today, tomorrow,

Always the same

I am the Lord, I am the Lord

And there is nothing to fear, nothing to fear

There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear

For I am with you always

What can separate you from my perfect love?

What can separate you from my perfect love?

What can separate you from my perfect love?

Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 8:23-27

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’

Jesus doesn’t seem to have any problem with sleeping through this storm. Can you sleep through anything? Or does sleep elude you?

This conversation over the wind and waves must’ve been a shouted one, surely. Place yourself in the scene. How do you feel? Panicked? In fight or flight mode? What noises can you hear? Just the crashing waves and wind? The others in the boat shouting?

What do you do? Grasp hold of the mast, a rope, the side of the boat? Or maybe you freeze and take a place on the floor of the boat…

As you hear the passage again, take your imagination to a new place: from identifying with basic human fear to embracing the power of God.

The disciples aren’t afraid to shout out their fear to the Lord. Is that something you find yourself able to do? You might want to speak with the Lord today about a fear that is locking you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.