do not be afraid, I am

In another month and a half we will start the hurricane season. The season is a time of living on the edge. Yet, it is also a time of heightened preparation. In the midst of living on the edge and the preparation is the voice of the silent God in Jesus Christ who says, “do not be afraid, it is I” or more precisely “do not be afraid, I am.” In this latter sense, the reader is transported back to the liberation of the people of Israel in the book of Exodus. There God announces the divine name as I AM (Exodus 3). In the Gospel according to John Jesus is announced as the I am in chapter 6. Faced with a storm at sea the disciples surrendered to I AM and got to shore safely. In a similar way we too will be caught in the storms of life; not just during the hurricane season but throughout our lives. Trust in the presence of God, as the disciples did, while still working for peace and calm, is sufficient to get us safely through the storms of life.

 

Easter Vigil 2017