Deacon Tom Writes,
Stormy Weather
The gospel paints quite a picture for us today. A nice day on the water suddenly turns into a heart-clutching event. The disciples are “terrified” and fearful that they are about to die. They wonder how Jesus can sleep through this violent storm. Indeed, they ask him outright, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing” ? After Jesus calms the sea, it’s his turn to ask the tough questions: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith”?
We all experience tempests in our lives. Oftentimes they terrify us and challenge our faith. Doubt, uncertainty, guilt, fear and regret raise havoc with our faith. When we are in such a state we question why God doesn’t reach out and save us from our misery. “He’s sleeping”, we may think, or “He just doesn’t care”. We may even begin to rationalize to the extreme… “God’s not helping because he doesn’t exist”... Or at the least, “We doubt that he will come to our rescue”. If we let these thoughts gain control over us they can lead us to utter despair or worse, a complete crisis of faith.
Yet, what do we hear in today’s gospel when the apostles were overcome with fear? We are told not to fear, not to doubt, but rather, “Quiet! Be still”! Listen for that quiet voice within where God speaks to our hearts. When we are overcome by the overwhelming circumstances we can’t avoid, there is something we can do… and that is to listen for that quiet, still voice within us…the promptings of the Holy Spirit who is “nearer to us than we are to ourselves”, in order to tap into an endless supply of Christ’s abiding love to help us persevere until the storms of uncertainty pass us by.
You may recall the expression, “That which does not kill me makes me stronger”. This is true in matters of faith as well. As we grow in our faith we gradually begin to understand that it is during those dark and uncertain moments that we experience God’s abiding presence, when we are most aware that God is “near to the brokenhearted”. We recognize God’s presence more and more in our lives the more we are tossed about by the sea of life and especially when things are not going our way. Perhaps that’s because when everything around us has failed… when our friends have abandoned us; when we lose our jobs or health or loved ones; when we begin to realize that we don’t have the power to fix what’s wrong in our lives or the lives of those we love. It is then when we are out of options that we turn to God. It is in times such as these that we are more open to receive what Christ has to offer us…his love, his compassion, his mercy and his promise to be with us when we are most in need.
All of the tempests in our lives have the potential of bringing us closer to Christ if we let them. If Christ truly becomes our rock and our salvation, we will overcome all the stormy weather we encounter as we navigate the waters of this life while keeping our bearings on the one to come.
A Happy Father’s day to all the fathers, grandfathers, and all the soon to be fathers.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Image credit: Wikimedia-org-Brueghel,_Pieter_I_-_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Sea_of_Galilee_-_1596_-062115.jpg
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