Such history attached to the Mediterranean. It seems calm today, but to the ancient Hebrews the sea represented chaos and power, to the Greeks,to the Cartheginians, to the Romans it represented opportunity and commerce and at the same time danger and risk. I wonder if Jesus viewed this sea. There are account of Jesus near bodies of water - the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea - but there are also references to him traveling in the region of Tyre and Sidon, both along the Mediterranean. What would have stirred in his fully human heart that at the same time was the Word of God at the dawn of creation when "the wind (or 'spirit' in some translations) hovered above the waters."
Whenever I think if Jesus and the sea the image that always comes to mind is "the calm within the storm." How many storms in our own lives do we ask the same question that the apostles did, "Why are you sleeping in this boat, Jesus? Do you want us to perish in this storm?" And how many times does Jesus repeat this same phrase, "Do not be afraid."
I will have my cappuccino and brioche in view of a calm Mediterranean Sea and reflect on life's storms and Jesus sharing our boat, as I leave the Mediterranean, move back inland, and walk the rest of today's journey to Massa.
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