In These Times, Patience with the Lord Is Key by Martin Gianotti

There is no doubt that we are in rather turbulent times. Every day, there are news articles threatening World War III, YouTube videos highlighting disturbing trends in our country, and ecclesial news and quotes that leave the faithful scratching their heads in confusion. Faced with these problems, it is perfectly reasonable for anyone to go to prayer asking God, “When are you going to put your foot down and clean this up?” At the same time, it is also perfectly reasonable for Jesus to look back at us in silence.

Why? First of all, he’s God, and we’re not. Secondly, he has already shown us that we have every reason to put our trust in him—just look to the Scriptures. No matter how alarming things can be around us, Christ is right there, saying, “My peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27).

The Stirring of the Sea

One of the more overlooked passages in the gospel of John comes when Christ appears to the apostles on the Sea of Galilee (6:16-24). Understandably, this event is forgotten because it is sandwiched between the multiplication of the loaves and the Bread of Life discourse. Nevertheless, it carries the same supernatural fruit as its predecessor and successor.

The apostles are traveling to Capernaum at night, and the sacred author makes note that “The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing” (6:18). One can imagine that the apostles are already a little on edge with these dangerous traveling conditions. To add to their fear, Christ just appears to them—walking on water! No wonder that the sacred author notes that “they began to be afraid” (6:19).

One could apply this to our current times. We are threatened by the “terror of the night” of recent world news, and we are worried about what will come in the near future—just like the apostles in the boat. In these moments, we are tempted to lose our peace if there’s not an immediate answer to our problems. In these moments, we have to avert our eyes from current events and look to the Scriptures. There we will see that God will often intervene in a way that is rarely what we expect yet results in a greater good.

Times of Arrival

The apostles on the Sea of Galilee are next given Christ’s peace (6:20). It is then that they desire that Jesus come onto the boat with them. No longer afraid, they will happily pass the night spending time with their Lord; however, Jesus has a better plan in mind than what they originally wanted. Not only will the apostles get to spend time with Jesus, but they will get to Capernaum without further delay. “[T]he boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading” (6:21).

When God chooses, he can bring about an immediate result for our betterment, but we have to be willing to submit to him. When we submit to Christ and invite him into our concern, as represented by the apostles calling him onto their boat, God uses the gift of our free will for something greater. As we continue to look to the Scriptures, we will see that God doesn’t always choose to bring about that greater good as immediately as in the account of the Sea of Galilee.

Do Not Cling to the Things of This World

Much to the chagrin of many Christians, we worship a God who sometimes answers our prayers with, “Wait.” This shows that we need to be advanced in the life of grace in order to be in union with God so that his responses cease to frustrate us. Nonetheless, we also have to deal with where we currently are in our spiritual life.

Waiting is a biblical principle. In fact, the whole of salvation history is essentially waiting for God to act. Although we ask God to act in this world, and although he does answer, our temporal situation cannot be our only focus. Christ is the ultimate teacher. Everything that we will ever need to know about the love of God is found in the gospels, and that includes how to wait for him.

In the resurrection account of the gospel of John, following John and Peter’s encounter at Christ’s tomb, Mary Magdalene is left alone in the garden. Once Christ has revealed himself to her, Mary falls at our Lord’s feet and holds him tightly. In this moment, Christ combines the apostles’ lesson on the sea with the lesson of learning to wait when he says, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17).

Everything that any disciple of Christ could possibly have hoped for is in front of Mary Magdalene at this moment. Christ, the God-Man, has resurrected a mere three days after his public death on the cross. The believers will be vindicated, the opposers will be condemned, and the hope that Christ is truly the Messiah has been fulfilled. Yet, Christ tells Mary Magdalene that the best is still yet to come. There is still more to do. It’s as if Christ is saying to all of us through Mary, “Your hopes and desires still aren’t big enough.” God is infinitely greater than we could possibly imagine, and he has more to give us in addition to his resurrection from the dead. He will now intercede for us for all eternity.

“Stop Holding on to Me”

According to John, Christ’s acts on earth were innumerable (John 21:25); we can assume that this statement applies to his acts following the resurrection. This means that anything John took the time to note carries significance. “Stop holding on to me,” Christ says to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb, “for I have not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17). With these words he shows Mary Magdalene that she needs to hope for more than just his resurrection. He still has more to give, more essentials for our journey through this valley of tears, beyond ascending to the Father as our intercessor. 

Stop Holding on to Me (for I Must Remind Them of My True Presence in the Eucharist)

The Eucharist and the first Mass had already been instituted at the Last Supper; however, the importance of the practice is reiterated in the appearance of Christ to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). It’s not until the breaking of the bread, the Mass, that the disciples recognize Christ. The importance of the Eucharist is reiterated to all believers by the “burning of [the] hearts” of the Emmaus disciples.

Stop Holding on to Me (for I Have Come to Forgive Their Sins)

One of the greatest gifts to Catholics is the sacrament of reconciliation. It is there that we can truly encounter Christ’s love and mercy, washing away the sins that we have committed. This was something that many Israelites had looked forward to from the prophecies of the Old Testament (Isaiah 1:18), but the idea that it would be readily available wherever a priest could be found, and that it would be more than just a one-time experience, had to be beyond their wildest dreams. But it became a reality when Christ visited his apostles following the resurrection (John 20:22). He gave them the Holy Spirit and the direct command to go about forgiving the sins of those seeking to repent. Although Israel had hoped for the forgiveness of their sins, God went even further than they expected in the accessibility of that forgiveness.

Stop Holding on to Me (for I Must Establish the Papacy)

The sign of Christian unity is submission to the bishop of Rome, the pope. Similar to the Eucharist, the papacy is something instituted during Christ’s ministry before the resurrection; however, its importance is reiterated in the resurrection account. How important must the Eucharist and papacy be that, in the limited space he had to record the actions of Christ, John chose to write about them again?

Christ’s conversation with Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 21:15-19) reiterates the necessity of the papal office. The pope is Christ’s physical representative of his authority over the church, and he is necessary for settling disputes in the church’s teachings. The office of the pope is meant to be a physical sign that Christ’s authority is what ultimately reigns over the church, and he shares that authority with her members. This is the second-to-last conversation that Christ has in John’s gospel, and it shows the significance that is the gift of the papacy to the church.

All three of these events demonstrate that although Christ has ascended to the Father, he is still present in the Eucharist, forgives our sins in the sacrament of reconciliation, and reigns over his church through the authority he has given to the pope. This reminds all of us, just as it did Mary Magdalene, that sometimes we have to wait for God to act; but when he does, his actions will go beyond our furthest hopes for the good. This still applies today. Although the world feels more chaotic than ever, we can look to the gifts that Christ has given to his church as an assurance that he is working even before he makes his next “big move”—just as he did between the resurrection and the ascension. ♦

Martin Gianotti is a devoted husband to his wife, Maria, and two daughters, Lucia and Margaret. He is a full-time educator who loves to read, speak, and write about his Catholic faith. Martin is also an avid basketball fan, which consumes much of his free time. He has a special devotion to Our Lady under her title Stella Maris (“Star of the Sea”) and is praying to her for all his readers.

Image: Sylvain Brison / Unsplash