Stormy Weather

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Ludolf Backhuijzen (1649-1707)

Click here for today’s Scripture readings.

Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
Mt 14:22-36

Storms can arise quickly and unexpectedly on the Sea of Galilee and they can be quite severe. Some of the disciples were fishermen and would be very familiar with the sea and its dangers.

It was early morning when they ran into unexpected difficulties. Their boat was being tossed by the waves and they were rowing into a head wind. In the midst of their fear, their confusion and their hard rowing, Jesus suddenly appears, gets in the boat and the wind calms down.  All is well.

We ourselves can be caught in unexpected storms, not only the storms caused by weather but by those surprise storms that rise up in our daily lives. It is unrealistic to think we can always count on smooth sailing.

Sooner or later we will find ourselves in a sudden storm that seems about to upset the peace and serenity of our lives.  A broken or bruised relationship, a lost job, a sudden illness, a missing child, sudden depression or an unforeseen sudden death are just a few of the storms that we can run into in our lives.

In the storms of life Jesus is always near to us if we but reach out to him in faith. Peter began to sink and cried out to Jesus caught Peter saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When Jesus got into the boat with Peter the wind died down. And there is the lesson we must learn. When we think we have everything in control and can do it all on our own we can enter rough seas. Unless our faith is strong enough to trust Jesus the winds will continue to blow and the threatening waves grow ever higher.

We have to be sure Jesus is in the boat with us.

- Fr. Stephen Haslach, C.P.