Homily for December 5, 2019

All of us can recognize the weather images that Jesus uses in today’s gospel: “Rains fell, floods came, and the winds blew.” Here in New England, especially this week, we could easily add snow to Jesus’ list, and still understand the message He is giving us.

In addition to storms we experience in our weather, we can also be hit by “storms” of a different kind, regardless of where we live in our world. As individuals, we can find ourselves battling against the elements of life, as we struggle in one way or another.

Jesus warns that all of us will at some time face the “storms of life,” and He wants to help us to get through them. When storms come, will we find ourselves tossed about helplessly, or will we be able to withstand the storms and move through them and beyond them?

Jesus wants to be our rock when the storms come. If we listen to His words and act on those words, we will remain safe even when storms break around us. Jesus brings us back to the basics: the doing of God’s will as He has revealed it to us. If we keep on returning to that focal point, the LORD will see to it that we endure, regardless of the strength of the storm. +