The idea that God saves us in the storms of life is very beautiful, quite common, and entirely real. But it is much less common to consider divine goodness taking us out of the calm and casting us into the midst of storms, with the risk of sinking…

Right after multiplying the loaves for a huge crowd, “Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede Him to the other side” (Mt 14:22). As God, He had arranged, from all eternity, what would happen: “Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it” (Mt 14:24).

The storms on the Sea of Galilee are very strong because, with those waters more than two hundred metres below sea level, they are exposed to the harsh winds coming from the Mediterranean, causing waves more than two metres high. Despite being manned by experienced fishermen, the Apostles’ boat was very vulnerable – like all boats of the time – and their anguish must have been immense.

And Our Lord? To intervene, He waits for the “fourth watch of the night” (Mt 14:25), a period between three and six o’clock in the morning, leaving the disciples in tribulation for a long time.

The scene is intensely dramatic and sublime: obeying the Master, they encounter a terrible storm; they wait almost all night without any relief; until, instead of calming the storm, Jesus goes to the disciples “walking on the sea” (Mt 14:25). They do not recognize Him, they think it is a ghost and begin to cry out in fear. Everything goes from bad to worse…

Finally, the Good Shepherd reveals Himself: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27). Called by the Lord, Peter walks on the water, but… when he feels the wind, fear takes hold and he begins to sink. He is held by the hand, rebuked for his lack of faith and, finally, accompanies Our Lord to the boat. Only then, upon entering, does the wind subside. And “those who were in the boat did Him homage, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God!’” (Mt 14:33).

One of the lessons that can be drawn from this Gospel is that every disciple of Our Lord – that is, every baptized person – will one day find themselves in the midst of a great storm, through no fault of their own, but through obedience to the voice of Jesus! In this scenario, we are unaware of what is happening, everything seems to worsen, Heaven appears closed, and we feel that we are going to sink. This is, literally, the dark night…

Why does God allow this? To make us grow in love, trust, and faith. In love, because our pride is completely broken. In trust, because in the storm we can be certain of divine protection and, even if we are sinking like Peter, we will be held by the hand; we just have to wait! In faith, because we know that, despite appearances to the contrary, everything is guided by Providence.

But today we can do something that the Apostles were not given to do then: entrust the vessel of our lives to the Blessed Virgin. Guided by her, we will arrive unharmed at the port of Heaven!