Memorial
of St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr
Amos
3:1-8.4:11-12; Matthew 8:23-27)
Perhaps it
is because we dread the struggles that face us.
In any case, we often feel that the challenges ahead of us are more like
mountains than hills. We call them “crises”
as if we doubt our ability to overcome them.
In the past twenty years the Church has experienced, among other
setbacks, the “crises” of clerical abuse and the waning of faith. These challenges are real, but they are not
going to bring down the Church. The
reason for hope appears in today’s gospel
The boat
containing Jesus and his disciples can be taken as a metaphor for the
Church. A storm, symbolizing a great
challenge, arises. With Jesus asleep the
disciples feel doomed. But all they have
to do is to call upon him. He is always
ready to help.
St.
Irenaeus, who lived in the last part of the second century, faced many
challenges. One was the theological
error of Docetism. This errant teaching
claimed that Christianity amounted to a formula to get through life. An excellent biblical theologian, Irenaeus
answered the challenge by reaffirming the doctrine of the incarnation. God becoming human has provided not a formula
or belief but a new way of living.
Imitating Christ, we will go beyond surmounting crises to achieving
life’s goal of eternity.
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