W hat is your response when “suddenly a violent storm comes up in your sea of life and the boat is being swamped?” Is it the disciples’ response of fear and doubt? Or is it David’s response in today’s Psalm: “In the Lord I have trusted; I have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me; search my heart and my mind.” Or is your response to the storms of life a combination of both faith and doubt?
Genesis 19:15-29
Psalm 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12
M atthew 8:23-27 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. (25) And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing." (26) And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
* Meditation by John P. Schlegel, S.J.
Suddenly a violent storm Came up on the sea, So that the boat was being Swamped by waves . . .
“And she beat the bank down With her bows and the ride of her keel:
/The breakers rolled on her beam With ruinous shock;/
And canvas and compass,The whorl and the wheel/Idle for ever…”
The Wreck of the Deutschland
We all can relate to today’s Gospel. Storms and raging seas—of every kind and description—are a part of our experiences. As one who enjoys canoeing and kayaking I have on occasion faced sudden strong winds, rain or hail disrupting a blissful outing on the Mississippi or a Wisconsin lake and having to make a fast break to shore or to shallow water. At moments like that one is never sure who is steering the canoe!
Key action in the Gospel is what happens between the beginning of the “violent storm” and the “great calm.” The disciples, of course, are scared to death, they wake Jesus and shout: “Lord, save us.. We are perishing.” Once he is alert Jesus not only rebukes the wind and the seas, but he also rebukes his followers when Jesus addresses them as “You of little faith.”
There are many storms in life, some more raging and life threatening than others, but stormy weather nonetheless. We are tossed about in our relationships, workplace, families and school. We are shaken by concerns for our health and that of others. The present economic meltdown has swamped many of us and disrupted our sleep and our employment; war and terrorism, natural disasters and the migration of peoples, all add to the “storms” and “fear” of life. And all the “personal” struggles that you keep inside you test your faith.
When facing these things, how strong is your faith? The Apostles’ momentary lack of faith was reassured and refortified by Jesus’ personal presence and actions; they were amazed that Jesus could master the elements. But unlike them, we should not be amazed by the Lord’s actions or Jesus’ presence around and within us because we know Jesus to be the risen one and worthy of our faith, hope and love.
What is your response when “suddenly a violent storm comes up in your sea of life and the boat is being swamped?” Is it the disciples’ response of fear and doubt? Or is it David’s response in today’s Psalm: “In the Lord I have trusted; I have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me; search my heart and my mind.” Or is your response to the storms of life a combination of both faith and doubt?
Supplementary Reading
When Fear Keeps Others From Their Destiny
No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. ~ Acts 5:13
E very work day in thousands of offices across the globe, Christians testify of God's grace in their lives in some way. Sometimes it comes through a subtle performance of their duties with a smile and peace that non-believers cannot understand. In other cases, there might be more visible, unexplainable examples of God's work. This was the defining difference in believers in the early Church. They lived a life that followed with signs and wonders that could not be humanly explained.
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number (Acts 5:12-14).
How often we have heard non-believers acknowledge their respect for the Christian workplace believer , but they dare not join them in their persuasion. It is this fear of the unknown that keeps many a non-believer on the path to hell. Who has God placed in your path today to help detour from a path of eternal torment to a path of freedom and eternal life? The Lord desires that each should come to knowledge of the truth so that they might be saved. As you enter the workplace today, ask the Lord for a divine appointment that might be the turning point for a lost soul. There's no prayer the Lord will delight in more than this one.
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