Storm Chasing

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:  "Let us cross to the other side."
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.  And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"
The wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?" They were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"

"A Messiah's labors from sun to sun but an Apostle's work is never done."  Our reading from Mark 4: 35-41 has Jesus deciding to go from one side of the lake to the other. I think it was because he was tired and needed some sleep because the author makes a point of mentioning the crowd.  Nothing could be more restful than to be snoozing in the back of a boat on a comfy cushion, listening to the waves gently break across the bow as the experienced sailors worked sails, line, and rudder to assure you of a most pleasant ride.  Well, that is until a storm comes up.  The boat which seemed so sturdy before seemingly becomes a cork as it first plunges this way and then that.  These hearty men of the sea bravely started to squeal like little girls that have seen a spider. All the while Jesus is resting serenely in the stern of the boat.  The Apostles were bailing madly as the waves broke over the gunwale.  The only thing they didn't try to do was to drill a hole to let the water out!  Finally, exhausted and scared out of their wits, they shake Jesus awake and ask Him if he doesn't care that they are about to be drowned. For his part, He stood and stretched and after giving a slight look of disapproval at his followers he told the storm to "knock it off."  At that, the lake became placid and Jesus asked them why they had so little faith. To a man, the Apostles stood there with their mouths agape in utter amazement at this Jesus fellow that they were following.  How is it that He had the power to calm the sea and the storm? 

Christianity is a religion of miracles. There are many described in the Bible. The apostles, it appeared, had no clue who it was they were hanging around with and what He could do.  So it is with us.  We participate in a religion that is known for its miracles and yet we are surprised when one occurs.  That is unfortunate.  But miracles can sometimes be hard to recognize as such.  Some go completely unseen and unknown even to the people that they happened to.  For example, a child prays for her mother's good health, not that there is any outward concern, her mother has no symptoms, she just loves her mother.  God for His part hears this prayer and inside the mother's body, some cells that had begun to divide wildly suddenly are attacked by antibodies and destroyed, thus saving the mother from a bout with cancer.   

Far fetched you say?  Nonsense, it happens every day.  This is why prayer is so important. We can never fully know the results of even our shortest but heartfelt prayer.  God will smith miracles for us out of the forge of his great love if we but ask either for ourselves or for others.  Mind you, the miracle we receive might not be the miracle that we requested because as the old song says, sometimes Jesus calms the storm and other times He calms the child. 

Pray for the poor souls in Purgatory, do it now!