Jan 23, 2026 Written by 

«Who is this Person?»

In this passage from the Gospel of Mark, the episode of the storm calmed by the Lord of history and glory is narrated.

Jesus commands the winds and says to the sea: «Shut up, be quiet!» (Mk 4:39) and, faced with the fear of his own, he calls their faith into question.

Francis, the Herald of the Gospel, a few years after his conversion, guided by the Spirit that pushes the sail of human existence, wished to die for Christ in the proclamation of the Word, overseas.

His encounter with Jesus had made him courageous and tenacious, so much so that he urged his own brothers to abandon all fear as they sailed through the storms of the world.

It is interesting to stop and meditate on a passage from the Sources that portrays Francis in the experience of headwinds.

"Six years after his conversion, inflamed by the desire for martyrdom, he decided to cross the sea and go to the parts of Syria to preach the Christian faith and penance to the Saracens and other infidels.

But the ship on which he had embarked, in order to reach that country, was forced by contrary winds to disembark in the parts of Schiavonia.

He remained there for some time; but then, not being able to find a ship to go to the overseas countries, defrauded in his desire, he begged some sailors, bound for Ancona, to take him with them, for the love of God. He was flatly refused, because he did not have the necessary money.

Then the man of God, putting all his trust in the goodness of the Lord, secretly boarded the ship anyway, with his companion.

A fellow came along - certainly sent by God to help his poor fellow - bringing with him the necessary food.

He called one of the sailors, who had the fear of God, and spoke to him as follows: "Keep all this stuff for the poor brothers who are hiding on the ship: you will give it to them when they need it".

Except that, it happened that, because of the violence, the sailors could not disembark for many days and so consumed all the provisions.

All that was left was the food offered in alms, from above, to poor Francis.

It was very scarce, in truth; but the divine power multiplied it in such a way that it was enough to fully satisfy the needs of all, for all those stormy days, until they could reach the port of Ancona.

The sailors, seeing that they had escaped death many times through the merits of the servant of God, gave thanks to Almighty God, who always shows himself admirable and loving in his friends and servants.

With good reason, for they had experienced at first hand the dreadful dangers of the sea and had seen the admirable works of God in the deep waters" (FF 1170).

We read again of the Poverello:

"Having left the sea, he began to wander the earth, sowing there the seed of salvation and reaping an abundant harvest of good fruits" (FF 1171).

"Comforting himself in the Lord, he prayed confidently and repeated singing that word of the prophet: for even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (FF 1172).

His faith in Christ made him overcome all fears, sleeping in the stern of unfortunate situations, knowing in Whom he had placed all hope.

 

«Why are you fearful? Have you no faith yet?»

 

 

Saturday 3rd wk. in O.T.  (Mk 4:35-41)

460 Last modified on Friday, 23 January 2026 05:03
Teresa Girolami

Teresa Girolami è laureata in Materie letterarie e Teologia. Ha pubblicato vari testi, fra cui: "Pellegrinaggio del cuore" (Ed. Piemme); "I Fiammiferi di Maria - La Madre di Dio in prosa e poesia"; "Tenerezza Scalza - Natura di donna"; co-autrice di "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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The people thought that Jesus was a prophet. This was not wrong, but it does not suffice; it is inadequate. In fact, it was a matter of delving deep, of recognizing the uniqueness of the person of Jesus of Nazareth and his newness. This is how it still is today: many people draw near to Jesus, as it were, from the outside (Pope Benedict)
La gente pensa che Gesù sia un profeta. Questo non è falso, ma non basta; è inadeguato. Si tratta, in effetti, di andare in profondità, di riconoscere la singolarità della persona di Gesù di Nazaret, la sua novità. Anche oggi è così: molti accostano Gesù, per così dire, dall’esterno (Papa Benedetto)
Because of this unique understanding, Jesus can present himself as the One who revealsr the Father with a knowledge that is the fruit of an intimate and mysterious reciprocity (John Paul II)
In forza di questa singolare intesa, Gesù può presentarsi come il rivelatore del Padre, con una conoscenza che è frutto di un'intima e misteriosa reciprocità (Giovanni Paolo II)
Yes, all the "miracles, wonders and signs" of Christ are in function of the revelation of him as Messiah, of him as the Son of God: of him who alone has the power to free man from sin and death. Of him who is truly the Savior of the world (John Paul II)
Sì, tutti i “miracoli, prodigi e segni” di Cristo sono in funzione della rivelazione di lui come Messia, di lui come Figlio di Dio: di lui che, solo, ha il potere di liberare l’uomo dal peccato e dalla morte. Di lui che veramente è il Salvatore del mondo (Giovanni Paolo II)
It is known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle takes place in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a "sign" of his presence and of his work, a particularly intense sign (John Paul II)
È noto che la fede è una risposta dell’uomo alla parola della rivelazione divina. Il miracolo avviene in legame organico con questa parola di Dio rivelante. È un “segno” della sua presenza e del suo operare, un segno, si può dire, particolarmente intenso (Giovanni Paolo II)
In the rite of Baptism, the presentation of the candle lit from the large Paschal candle, a symbol of the Risen Christ, is a sign that helps us to understand what happens in the Sacrament. When our lives are enlightened by the mystery of Christ, we experience the joy of being liberated from all that threatens the full realization (Pope Benedict)
Nel rito del Battesimo, la consegna della candela, accesa al grande cero pasquale simbolo di Cristo Risorto, è un segno che aiuta a cogliere ciò che avviene nel Sacramento. Quando la nostra vita si lascia illuminare dal mistero di Cristo, sperimenta la gioia di essere liberata da tutto ciò che ne minaccia la piena realizzazione (Papa Benedetto)
Doing a good deed almost instinctively gives rise to the desire to be esteemed and admired for the good action, in other words to gain a reward. And on the one hand this closes us in on ourselves and on the other, it brings us out of ourselves because we live oriented to what others think of us or admire in us (Pope Benedict)
Quando si compie qualcosa di buono, quasi istintivamente nasce il desiderio di essere stimati e ammirati per la buona azione, di avere cioè una soddisfazione. E questo, da una parte rinchiude in se stessi, dall’altra porta fuori da se stessi, perché si vive proiettati verso quello che gli altri pensano di noi e ammirano in noi (Papa Benedetto)
Here we can experience first hand that God is life and gives life, yet takes on the tragedy of death (Pope Francis)
Qui tocchiamo con mano che Dio è vita e dona vita, ma si fa carico del dramma della morte (Papa Francesco)

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