In times of trial, tribulation, and suffering, Jesus seeks to console and strengthen us!
He wants us to bring all our sorrows, questions, and fears to Him, to cast them into the fire of His Sacred Heart and to be renewed in His unfailing and perfect love for us!
Scriptural consolation and strength
When I feel overwhelmed, anxious, or sorrowful, I turn to three Scripture passages for consolation and strength.
The first passage is the Calming of the Storm at Sea (Mark 4:35-40).
The disciples and Jesus are crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent squall bursts upon them. Jesus is asleep in the boat.
In their great fear, the disciples awaken Him; whereupon the Lord rebukes the wind and the waves, and a great calm ensues.
Many Scriptural commentators have reflected on how, through the sacraments, the Lord abides within us through sanctifying grace, but we must awaken the sleeping Christ in us through prayer, virtue, and action.
When we are facing a terrible cross in our lives, we call on the Lord to awaken within us and to subdue the storm in our hearts.
The second passage is The Walking on Water (Matthew 14:22-33).
Here, Jesus is walking towards the disciples on the water as they face strong headwinds on the sea.
The Lord bids Peter to walk on the water towards Him.
Everything is fine if Peter keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus, but when he feels the peril of the wind and the waves and realizes that he is actually walking on the water, far from the safety of the boat, he looks away from the Lord and begins to sink.
The Lord reaches out and saves Peter, again calming the wind and the waves.
This remarkable narrative encourages us to always keep our attention and our hearts firmly fixed on Jesus, knowing that He can do the impossible.
We also see here that the safest place to be is not in the boat without Jesus, but out on the open water with Him.
This conviction is so counterintuitive to our human wisdom, but it reminds us that Jesus will always reach out and save us. We just need to keep walking towards Him.
The third passage is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20).
Before ascending to Heaven, the Lord commissions His Apostles to make disciples of all nations, to Baptize and to teach, and then assures them that He is with them always until the end of the age. I find great consolation in this final promise of the Lord.
Through all the storms, trials, persecutions, and sufferings of the Church throughout history, Jesus steadfastly remains with us through His Body and Bride.
Just when and where the Church seems defeated and crushed, She comes roaring back to life, evidence that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is truly with us until the end of time.
So too, when we feel crushed and overwhelmed by suffering, the Lord gives us the strength to bear the cross.
This sense of the Lord’s abiding and calming presence brings great peace to my heart.
How to go to God
We can go to Mass every day, hear the Lord speak His Word to us, and receive Holy Communion.
We can Adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, finding healing and strength in His abiding grace.
We can go to Confession and receive forgiveness of our sins and a relief from our burdens in this powerful sacrament.
We can read the Scriptures and feel the power, truth, and blessing of Jesus’ action and preaching, knowing that He is speaking to us in this moment through His sacred Word.
We can lift our minds and hearts to the Lord in every place and moment we find ourselves to be and immediately establish contact with the love and mercy which flow from the Sacred Heart.
We can study the lives of the saints and gain inspiration, courage, and fortitude to become saints ourselves.
In short, God loves us so much that He has given us multiple and effective means to be in constant relationship and communication with Him, and to find the consolation and peace which He wants to share with us, especially in those difficult and dark moments of trial.
The Lord does not promise us an easy or comfortable life.
He does assure us of His presence, peace, and power in the middle of the storm.
We cling to this blessed assurance as we make our pilgrim way to the Father’s house.