Lord of the Storms ... And of Pandemics

This story by Dr. Dan Osborn was published in the March/April 2020 issue of Faith Saginaw Magazine.

It was unprecedented – like watching the first moon landing when I was a child. The television images of Pope Francis leading the world in prayer on March 27 are now permanently engraved on my heart … and on the hearts of anyone who witnessed them.

At one point, the Holy Father grasped the monstrance to give benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the face of the current pandemic.

I leaned towards my 8-year-old daughter, Grace. “That is Jesus disguised as bread being carried by Jesus’ vicar on earth.”

Then the camera angle switched to a view from behind the pope, showing him blessing the void of a dark and rain-drenched St. Peter’s Square. In reality, he was blessing a suffering world with the Real Presence of its only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Let us invite Jesus into the boat of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to Him so that He can conquer them."
— Pope Francis

The Lonely Ascent

Benediction was only one of many luminous moments during this prayer service presided over by Pope Francis in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

Most notably, he chose to grant the Urbi et Orbi blessing (a blessing to the city of Rome and to the world); normally, this is only given at Christmas and Easter, or upon the election of a new pope.

Pope Francis blesses the City of Rome and the World while holding the Holy Eucharist on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.
Pope Francis blesses the City of Rome and the World while holding the Holy Eucharist on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica on March 27.  Credit: Vatican Media/CNA 

 

The prayer service began in silence. The world watched as the solitary figure of St. Peter’s successor struggled to walk up a ramp towards the basilica built on the first pope’s bones.

As Pope Francis made his ascent, limping slightly, it was hard not to think of Jesus’ Good Friday climb to Golgotha. The weight of the world’s current suffering was clearly on the Holy Father’s shoulders as he walked.

At the same time, the contrast of the white-vested pope against the background of a dark, rainy evening brought to mind the powerful moment in the Easter Vigil Mass, when the white Easter candle enters the darkened church to the chant of Lumen Christi (in Latin, “the light of Christ”).

Thus, like a living poem, the opening procession of Pope Francis wordlessly evoked a central aspect of the Christian Faith: namely, the paschal mystery of Jesus’ passion, death, resurrection and ascension.

Reflections from Pope Francis

During the prayer service, the Holy Father offered a profound reflection on how Jesus calmed the storm at the sea, a storm which he connected to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are a few excerpts:

We, too, are in a storm

“‘When evening had come’ (Mk 4:35). ...

For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away.

We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel, we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. ...

Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying ‘We are perishing’ (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this. It is easy to recognize ourselves in this story. ...

The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities. ...

Invite Jesus into the boat

“‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ Faith begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we flounder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars.

"Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck.

"Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies."
— Pope Francis

Entrust ourselves to Jesus through Mary

“... Dear brothers and sisters, from this place that tells of Peter’s rock-solid faith, I would like this evening to entrust all of you to the Lord, through the intercession of Mary, Health of the People and Star of the stormy Sea. From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God’s blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace.

"Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: ‘Do not be afraid’ (Mt 28:5).

"And we, together with Peter, ‘cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us’ (cf. 1 Pet 5:7).”

Experiencing Jesus' Peace through Ignatian Contemplation

In the face of a pandemic, the world is realizing it must pray. I am being convicted of this personally.

I wanted to share a powerful way to encounter Jesus in prayer, one that I learned in my mid-twenties. Some of you may already be familiar with this method. It’s called Ignatian meditation or contemplation, because it was popularized by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

St. Ignatius is famous for giving the Church a beautiful way of praying with Sacred Scripture by using God’s gift of imagination.

At this moment, when anxieties about the current pandemic easily storm within us, it is good for us to also prayerfully meditate on the same Gospel passage that Pope Francis chose. (Interestingly, he is the first Jesuit pope in history, so he is very familiar with this form of prayer.)

How to Pray with Ignatian Contemplation

First, ask the Lord for the grace to prayerfully enter into the Scripture passage you are about to meditate on, then carefully read how Jesus calmed the storm in Mark 4:35-41. Next, close your eyes and imagine you are in the boat with Jesus as he sleeps despite the wind and rain.

Try to imaginatively use all five of your senses to experience the scene. What do you see, smell, hear, taste and feel?

Can you see the coal-colored clouds rolling in over the green hills that surround the Sea of Galilee?

Can you smell the sea water running down your face as the waves crash over the side of the boat?

Can you hear the wood of the hull planks creaking as the boat tosses and turns uncontrollably?

Can you perceive that slightly metallic taste in your mouth that comes in moments of extreme fear?

Can you feel the muscles of your stomach and your fingers clenching as you realize you may perish?

Now imagine you awaken the sleeping Lord. Look into his eyes and receive his gaze of love and assurance.

Talk to him, heart-to- heart, about your fears during this coronavirus storm. Then ask him to stretch out his hand and bring his healing peace to the world ... and to you personally.

Even imagine that your head is nestled right under Jesus’ hand as he stretches out his arm to command the storm to cease. Feel the warmth of his palm on your forehead. Then take a few minutes just to remain in the Lord’s presence, receiving his gift of healing calm.

Conclude by praying three times the simple prayer Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina, a prayer we need now more than ever: “Jesus, I trust in you.”

"Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them."
— Pope Francis

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Story by Dr. Dan Osborn, director of the Center for Ministry for the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw