was asleep. The disciples woke him up and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” But Jesus
answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Then he stood up and rebuked the
wind and sea; and it became completely calm. The disciples were astonished. They said,
“What kind of man is he? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”

Reflect

I t’s increasingly obvious that we can no longer ignore the climate crisis. Polar ice is
melting. Sea level is rising, threatening coastal cities and towns. Once fertile farmland
is barren and rainforests grow smaller. Tragic weather events – typhoons, tornadoes, floods –
become more common, taking a horrible toll on people and communities. It’s hard not to
wonder what sort of planet we will leave to future generations.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that God is the master of creation. Even the wind and the
sea obey his commands. So God calls us to protect the natural world, our common
home and to ensure that future generations will be able to live in safety and dignity.

But what can we do? Unlike Jesus, we cannot change the course of the wind and the
sea by a word. However, we can appreciate the beauty of creation and see it as the gift
of a loving God. We can reduce our consumption of things that damage the environment.
We can live simply so that our environmental impact is smaller. We can pick up trash
and plant trees. We can care for our common home.

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