Fr MC’s Homilies and Podcast

In the gospel, we have Mary singing her beautiful song of praise where she redirects all praise to God, famously stating that God “has looked upon His lowly handmaid.” In the Magnificat, she redirects all glory to God, acknowledging her "lowly" state while magnifying His power. By recognising that her greatness stems entirely from God's grace, she models for all of us a perfect, faithful surrender. Her song is an ode to the theme of Deus ex Machina - She sings of a total reversal of how we would expect the story to end if history was allowed to just run its natural course, but instead we have a God who scatters the proud and exalts the humble, filling the hungry while bringing down the mighty. Just like a writer bringing in a powerful outside force to save a story, God intervened in human history through Mary. It is a song about God stepping into human affairs to radically change the world's order and the tale of its ending. For those who have grown used to seeing the world as it is instead of seeing it as should be, to those of us whose eyes have not been adjusted, the light which Mary’s song casts is blinding and disorienting. It moves the earth under our feet, it causes us to stumble from our prideful heights. Our eyes are still fixed on the way of power, success, wealth, and brutal self-exertion and self-magnification. Our feet are still planted on the sand of our own glory. But Mary’s little way sees clearly in this dawn of light, and deftly turns our attention heavenward. We look up not because we can’t imagine ourselves taking our eyes off her but we are looking in the direction which she is pointing us to. Think of her person, her humble existence, her glorious assumption, as a sign pointing to our final destination which is God. That even in death, at the end of our earthly pilgrimage which feels like a cul de sac, death is not a dead end but a radical transformation of life, as the priest prays during Masses for the dead, that at death “life is changed, not ended.” But we get to witness this wondrous mystery even now. We don’t have to wait till we are dead before we get to see the wonder of how God intervenes in our lives. Think of the world in a story as being trapped in a hopeless, unsolvable situation. This "unsolvable problem" is human sin and death. Every one of your stories holds scars. Every life collects chapters we wish we could erase — moments when shame screamed louder than faith, when we questioned our worth, or when the future felt permanently closed. Yet grace has always whispered a different ending: “You’re not finished.” Society says, “If you mess up, you start over from zero.” But God says, “If you mess up, I’ll meet you at zero and start something new.” When we lose our way, God writes around our detours. When we fail, He folds failure into the fabric of redemption. When we give up, His pen doesn’t pause. It just turns the page. If you believe that all of this is impossible, remember that the Assumption of our Lady is the ultimate example of how all this is possible. It shows God rescuing Mary from the normal rules of human death and decay by a direct, divine act. In a sense, it is the ultimate "divine intervention" and the climax of Mary's life story. No Marvel hero is going to turn up to save the day because there is none. But God will. Lord willing, the rest of us will receive our full triumph - and the full effect of Christ's victory over death - when our own souls are reunited with our glorified bodies at the end of time.

Gospel of 15 August 2026 Solemnity of the Assumption of our Lady Luke 1:39-56 The Almighty has done great things for me Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ And Mary said: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy – according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home. Reflexion In most action movies, from Avengers Endgame to X-Men Apocalypse where Jean Grey unleashes the full extent of her godlike powers, there is a common use of a storytelling tool known as Deus ex Machina, which literally meant, the god from the machine. In Greek theatre, actors who play gods would be introduced to the stage and play by either being lowered from a crane like device or raised from a hidden platform below the stage, making a sudden, almost miraculous, appearance. The introduction of this figure is intended to turn the tide and change the inevitable outcome of the story line. A seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. This functions to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending. Some have accused this as a form of lazy storytelling, but for us Christians, the story of salvation in Scripture is precisely all about how God intervenes at the very last moment to transform the outcome from an otherwise certain defeat to undisputable victory. The first reading taken from the last book of the Bible repeats this theme that undergirds every significant turning point in the bible. Just when all seemed lost and evil seemed to have triumphed over good without any chance of a “remontada”, God enters the scene and amazingly rewrites the final outcome of the story. The woman in labour, in her most vulnerable moment, is rescued from the clutches of the towering gargantuan planet swallowing dragon. The enemies of the people of God would cry foul and even accuse God of cheating, but the truth is that our sovereign all-powerful, all-knowing and all-Merciful God has already willed this ending right from the start. Don’t take my word for it. Just read Genesis 3: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Both the conflict and the ending have both been written. We often believe that any good player would keep his deck of cards to himself without revealing his trump card. But God has made no secret of His plans. He has revealed this through history and through the prophets. It is just us mortal who often doubt that He has the winning hand, often trusting in our own senses and resources rather than in His mighty power.

Marriage is first of all God’s institution and God’s doing, regardless of how men may corrupt it, and deny or disregard His part in it. Whether it is entered into wisely or foolishly, sincerely or insincerely, selfishly or unselfishly, with great or little commitment, God’s design for every marriage is that it be permanent until the death of one of the spouses. Therefore, to destroy a marriage is to destroy a creation of Almighty God and disrupt His plan of salvation. Perhaps the greatest pandemic that we should be addressing is not just COVID 19 or some new strain of it but divorce. If the whole world can muster and focus its resources to find a solution to a virus, the Church, and everyone of us, must do all we can to save marriages and to ensure that couples remain faithful to this permanent bond instituted by God because “what God has united, man must not divide.”

Gospel of 14 August 2026 Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe Matthew 19:3-12 Husband and wife are no longer two, but one body Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and to test him they said, ‘Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?’ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the creator from the beginning made them male and female and that he said: This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body? They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ They said to him, ‘Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?’ ‘It was because you were so unteachable’ he said ‘that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say this to you: the man who divorces his wife – I am not speaking of fornication – and marries another, is guilty of adultery.’ The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’ Reflexion The significance of having just one set of parents right from the beginning of time rather than being descended from many pairs of parents is often lost upon us, especially in today’s modern world where there are so many weird relational aberrations that serve to substitute the institution of the traditional couple. For example, you may have heard of the “throuple”, a romantic relationship between three persons. You may be surprised to note that this is not a modern invention but had existed in some cultures like the French with their infamous “ménage à trois” - literally, a household of three. It is important to remember that only one man and one woman existed in the beginning. God did not create a group of males and females who could pick and choose mates as it suited them. There was no provision, or even possibility, for multiple or alternate spouses. Only one man and one woman existed in the beginning. For that very obvious reason, divorce and remarriage were not options in the divine plan for man. Our Lord also adds, “This is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body?” Now this is a strange thing to say if the statement is applied solely to Adam and Eve who are the first humans to be created. Since Adam and Eve had no parents to leave, the leaving of father and mother was a principle to be projected into and applied to all future generations. The permanence of marriage is not a concept that is just limited to a particular time or culture but is applicable for all ages and in all cultures. This is because marriage, as God has always intended it to be, involves the total commitment and consecration of husbands and wives to each other, and to Him as the divine author of their union and witness to their covenant. The greatest honour of marriage is that it proclaims to the world as a symbol of the union between Christ and His own blessed Church. As Christ would never abandon or separate Himself from His bride, the Church, so a man can never be separated from his wife. Our Lord clarifies that when a man and a woman are joined in marriage, “they are no longer two, therefore, but one body.” They are indivisible and inseparable, except through death. In God’s eyes, the two literally become one. When the couple have a child, that child becomes the perfect demonstration of their oneness since he or she is a unique reflection of the fusion of two people into one flesh. From the very first marriage, that of Adam and Eve, God has joined together every husband and wife.

He died so that by His death we are freed to live forever. Forgiveness requires death, but not of the one asking, but of the one giving. In order to truly forgive, you must die. It is providential that the theme of our gospel passage, which is forgiveness, is reflected in the lives of the two saints whose memorial we celebrate today. Pope Pontian and the priest Hippolytus, who were both contemporaries living in the 3rd century, were once bitter rivals divided over how strictly to forgive sinners. In the early 3rd-century Church, a major debate raged regarding the forgiveness of grave sins (like murder, adultery, or apostasy). Hippolytus was a brilliant theologian who believed the Church should be an exclusive community of the pure. He felt the Pope was far too lenient in admitting these serious sinners back into communion, so he broke away to form his own sect, becoming the Church's first antipope. Pope Pontian and his predecessors favoured a merciful approach, advocating that repentant sinners could be forgiven and brought back into communion after proper penance. After both were exiled to the brutal Sardinian mines by Emperor Maximinus Thrax, they reconciled and forgave one another, ending an 18-year schism before dying as martyrs. In death, they found not only closure but reconciliation. That truth is the new normal of the church. Let us never forget that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Likewise, if we wish to imitate Him, we too must die to self in order to forgive another person. We must die to the need to 'get even'. We must die to our need for revenge. We must let our ego and selfishness die. We must die just like Jesus did. He died so that sins can be laid to rest forever. And that is what we must do so that we can truly forgive our brother and our sister from the depths of our hearts.

Gospel of 13 August 2026 Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St Pontian and St Hippolytus Matthew 18:21-19:1 'How often must I forgive my brother?' Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’ Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and he left Galilee and came into the part of Judaea which is on the far side of the Jordan. Reflexion The concept “a new normal”, flaunted during the season of the pandemic and its many restrictive SOPs, has ironically become an old cliche. Today, our Lord reminds us that there is an essential action that must become part of the “new normal” for Christians. It is forgiveness. Forgiveness should be offered not just when it is convenient or when it is deemed deserving, but forgiveness should become a way of life, a “new normal” for Christians. How often should we forgive? “Not seven but seventy-seven times.” The ability to forgive in any relationship is essential for its survival. The willingness to move forward and onward from a conflict or from injury is vital for the life of friendships and marriages. Some people are very good at forgiving and moving on. They are able to shed the bitterness and anger for the sake of their relationships. For other people, it isn’t so easy. So the flip side of this is that there is nothing more toxic to a relationship than never letting something go. Unforgiveness and resentment is the old normal. We come to a conclusion that there are some people or some transgressions that can never truly be forgiven. We will make people pay for their mistakes the rest of their lives. You will only decay in a twisted system like this. Unfortunately, many people do this. It is rampant in our world and in our society today. It’s destructive. It’s dangerous. Most importantly, it’s not Christian. Forgiveness is not just something which our Lord taught us. It’s something which He showed through His own life and death. He didn’t just speak words of forgiveness. He earned it with His blood. What is so radical about His forgiveness is that we didn’t have to prove our worth. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Do you know what forgiveness looks like? It is absolution for wrong doings. It is given freely and recklessly. It is given despite the state or attitude of the offender. Most importantly, the Lord shows us that forgiveness is death. Quite literally, it is with Jesus.

The Most Holy Trinity will be the model of community life - a perfect union of three distinct persons. Therefore the strength of the community lies in the presence of Christ within it. Our communion grows when the members of the community grow to be more Christ-like; when we learn to confront the other with the freedom giving Truth but also with love and forgiveness too. Let us not forget that our communion suffers disintegration when we choose to be less like Him by allowing another to lose his or her way through sin.

Gospel of 12 August 2026 Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St Jane Frances de Chantal Matthew 18:15-20 If your brother listens to you, you have won back your brother Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector. ‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’ Reflexion The recent highly publicised excommunication of the prelates and clergy of the Society of St Pius X and those members of the laity who are formally adhered to this movement has given rise to many questions. Is this action justified? Should the Church have taken a more reconciliatory and merciful path in dialoging with this group? Could the excommunication have been avoided? Is there a basis of this action in scripture? The answer to the last question is simple. The passage we’ve just read is the scriptural basis of the Church's power to issue censures, including its most severe - excommunications. The purpose is to protect the integrity of the community and the faith, while offering the offender a chance to realize the gravity of their actions and eventually repent. The ultimate goal of treating someone as a "pagan or tax collector" (i.e., outside sacramental communion) is remedial—to encourage conversion and eventual reconciliation with the Church. Our Lord sets out several practices which should be adopted by the Christian community. Instead of expecting an absence of conflict, our Lord proposes three things essential to community life. First, there should be a method of conflict resolution that seeks to save the individual and reconcile him, rather than cancel him. See how this is at odds with modern cancel culture. Second, forgiveness is our Lord’s gift to His Church and her members, a gift which we must use prudently and generously. On the other hand, modern woke culture never forgives no matter how long you grovel and beg for it. Today, we have the example of a saint who shows us the power of forgiveness in her life - St Jane Frances de Chantal. She was a wife, a mother and later in life, religious. She and her husband were truly devoted to each other and to their four children. Her happiness was shattered with the death of her husband in a hunting accident. He forgave the man who shot him saying, 'Don't commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done nothing wrong.' The heartbroken Jane, however, had to struggle with forgiveness for a long time. At first she just greeted him on the street, then in time invited him to her house and finally was able to forgive the man so completely that she even became godmother to his child. Her process of healing and ability to forgive was guided by Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop who became her director and best friend. She believed the secret of happiness was in "losing" yourself and not allowing oneself to be consumed by grief and sorrow, “Throw ourselves into God as a little drop of water into the sea, and lose ourselves in the Ocean of divine goodness.” Finally, we come to the last piece of counsel by our Lord in today’s Gospel. Although a consistent consensus of ideas and opinions may remain a somewhat unattainable ideal, Christians should never forget to unite in prayer. Our unity is not one which arises from social engineering, ideological compromise or political machinations but from the power and grace of the Triune God.

She embraced radical simplicity, trusting God like a child with complete surrender. Clare viewed herself as a little child, humble and obedient to the gospel. She relied entirely on God's providence to feed her community, the Poor Ladies. So, in a world where so many pride themselves of possessing a more sophisticated culture and knowledge than their forebears, only one simple truth matters in the end: “unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Gospel of 11 August 2026 Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St Clare Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14 Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. ‘See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven. ‘Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.’ Reflexion Older generations are watching with alarm the new generations emerging, each feeling more entitled than the previous one. What they often see is, young badly misbehaved uncouth brats who seem to have no respect for their elders and who would demand a whole long list of things which the older generation would never imagine having the audacity to even ask. We have an exceedingly knowledgeable and skilful generation of young people but perhaps a generation that suffers from a gross deficit of maturity. Maturity is the ability to take responsibility, to see and act on behalf of others, while immaturity is refusing to take responsibility and not seeing things from someone else's point of view. One’s own point of view is paramount. Is this what our Lord is suggesting to His disciples and to Christians when He said that we should “become like little children”? It is important to note that He is telling us to become like little children and not “remain” little children. What is being promoted is not immaturity but simplicity and humility. An ordinary child, who has not been warped by ill treating or spoiling, possesses humility and simplicity. Entitlement is learned behaviour. It arises from a parenting style which teaches children that they have rights without any corresponding responsibility, that they are entitled to things even when they’ve not earned them. A child naturally has the capacity for total joy and total surrender. Without being showered with expensive toys, he learns the joy of simplicity. Simplicity is not—as so many think—silliness. Simplicity means being uncomplicated, not being two faced (hypocrites). The first exercise in simplicity is to accept oneself as one is. Simplicity naturally flows into humility. A child who is not constantly bombarded with praises and shielded from authentic criticisms, will eventually learn the joy of humility. To go back to childhood means that we must get back true values; that we must regain simplicity and humility, and, above all, we must regain a sense of awe and wonder so that we once again treat God, and things of God as sacred and with reverence. This is why the Kingdom of heaven belongs to little children. Spoilt immature entitled adults (who are perpetual petulant adolescents) have little appreciation for the things of God, because they suffer the delusion that they themselves are gods. They expect everyone to bend the knee, to do their bidding. In fact, in their hubris, they blindly believe that God and the entire world must meet their every demand. The truth is that God owes us nothing but we owe Him everything. It takes a simple, humble innocent child to recognise this simple truth. St Clare of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate today, is such an example of profound childlike faith and humility. Born into nobility, she abandoned her wealth to live in total poverty as a "little plant" of St Francis.

” They were able to endure horrifying tortures and accepted martyrdom because they believed in the promise of the Lord, “Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life...If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.”

Gospel of 10 August 2026 Feast of St Laurence, Deacon and Martyr John 12:24-26 If a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it yields a rich harvest Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.’ Reflexion I’ve been closely following the daily updates and development on my seminarian’s hydroponic experiment of growing the mustard seeds he received at a recent catechists’ recollection. Yesterday, I received sad news that his little saplings didn’t make it in the extremely hot weather. But Bro Clive didn’t seem discouraged or daunted. He told me, “I’m going to try to save them.” We are still waiting for our bountiful harvest of mustard leaves for our dining table, hopefully it’s mustard we are getting and not something else. In today’s gospel, our Lord outlines His own fate in the form of a little parable which would not only be a description of His mission and life but that of His disciples too. It comes in the form of a short but powerful parable involving a seed. Unlike the parables concerning seeds in the synoptic gospels which points to the expansion of the kingdom of God, this single mention of the seed in the Fourth Gospel points directly to our Lord. Here He is not the sower, nor the Master of the Harvest, but our Lord Himself is the seed. How is the seed connected to our Lord’s mission? The Jews expected a messiah who would be a powerful king, who would continue with the royal style of David and would restore to Israel its glorious past. They were expecting a rich harvest that would just appear miraculously. Instead, our Lord, places in the centre of His messianic mission the gift of His own life. The rich harvest would not just materialise out of thin air. It comes at a cost. The harvest would not be possible without the death and burial of the seed: “unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.” Our Lord would be that “wheat grain” that has to fall and die. The story of the seed is that of dying in order to multiply itself; its function is that of service to life. In this way, the seed becomes a summary of our Lord’s mission and life. In Jesus’ life, to love is to serve and to serve is to lose oneself in the life of others, to die to oneself in order to allow others to live. While His “hour” is approaching, the conclusion of His mission, our Lord assures His own disciples with the promise of a consolation and of a joy without end, accompanied by every type of disturbance or trouble. Many would not be able to see the connexion between these two diametrically opposing experiences - consolation and disturbance. But this is what we see in the cross. This the reason why He gives the example of the seed that has to wither. Christ has chosen the cross for Himself and for His own: anyone who wants to be His disciple is called to share the same path. “If a man serves me, he must follow me, wherever I am, my servant will be there too.” St Lawrence and all the martyrs of the Church understood this linkage between discipleship and sharing in the fate of the One who dies in order to give life to others. In fact, as the psalmist rightly echoes, there is so much joy as they embrace death courageously. St Lawrence is proof of this. There is a legend of how he turns to his executor as he is slowly being grilled and tortured on the gridiron, “this side is done. It’s time to turn me over!” Such courage and perfect comedic timing even in the midst of such unbelievable suffering and pain. That is why Tertullian could confidently declare that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

Don’t let yourself be distracted and misled to place these extraordinary occurrences above what our Lord now communicates to us in ordinary ways, when we listen to the Word of God, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and participate in the sacraments, especially in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Remember, God is not only to be found in the extraordinary circumstances like the wind, an earthquake, a raging fire or a vision, nor is He only to be found striding across the waters as He once did, but He often manifests Himself most intimately when He sits quietly invisibly in the boat, the Church, by your side, as you weather the storms of life. And in the hull of the boat, the bosom of the Church, you will hear Him speak again: “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”