In the past month, our area has experienced several bad storms.  We’ve seen lots of rain, high winds, and even hail.  It was just a couple of weeks ago that a funnel cloud was sighted just west of here.  And while we have maybe seen more than our fair share this year, strong, violent storms are fairly common in the springtime, in Indiana.  We make provisions for these storms.  Our schools have tornado drills.  We keep flashlights and candles ready just in case the lights go out.  Our communities have tornado sirens.  We know the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch.  A friend of mine from out East came to visit a couple of summers ago, and while he was here, we were under a tornado watch.  And he freaked out.  I couldn’t get him to leave the rectory basement.  I kept saying, “It’s only a watch, not a warning.”  He thought we were all crazy for making the distinction.  You get used to the storms after you’ve lived here for awhile.   Still, when the wind is blowing tree sideways, and there’s hail bouncing on your porch, and the rain is coming down in sheets, and the lightning makes that crackling sound right before the thunder’s boom, NOTHING puts the fear of God in you quite like an Indiana thunderstorm.

      Now, many, if not most, of the disciples were fishermen.  Like us Hoosiers, they knew how to handle a really big storm, because they had seen so many of them in their lives.  So this storm comes up in our Gospel today, and at first, it must not have been a big deal.  The disciples have a handle on it.  They don’t wake Jesus up.  They take care of everything, just like they normally would have, and wait for the sea to die down.  But it doesn’t, does it?  Instead, the winds keep on building, the waves get higher, the lightening and thunder get worse.  And the fishermen, lose control.  And along with their loss of control comes fear.  And in their fear, they don’t have any problem waking up their friend, the would-be Messiah.  And as they wake Jesus, they do somewhat accusingly: “Do you not care that we are perishing?”  You see how deep the roots of Catholic guilt go?  These early disciples even made Jesus feel guilty about getting some rest!  Jesus wakes up at His follower’s insistence, and He doesn’t just take care of the boat.  Jesus calms the sea.  I suppose that they expected him to save the boat.  They seem astonished at His power.  If they didn’t expect Him to do just what He did, then why did they wake Him up in the first place?  I suppose they expected Him to save the boat and NOT stop the storm.  I suppose that they expected a more normal kind of salvation.  These disciples didn’t understand that they were in no real danger while Jesus was in the boat with them.  And if they couldn’t see that, they would be hard-pressed to imagine the extent of His authority.  And remember, these were His disciples!  This Gospel has them amazed at what Jesus can do.

       These last several months have been somewhat “stormy” for all of us.  The economic slowdown and recession have affected all of us.  Many of us have lost jobs, or suffered cut backs, or wonder what the future will hold for us.  These are tough times.  There are many of us who are dealing with illness or the sickness of a family member or loved one, or maybe even the death of a loved one.  There are still others who are trying desperately to hold their marriage together, or to keep their children out of trouble, or are trying to take care of their aging parents.  Those of us who have jobs, are spending more time at work trying to keep our jobs.  We have less time for family and friends.  And very probably, if we’re honest, all of us are not spending the time that we should be spending with our Lord, in prayer.  These are hard, stressful days for a lot of people.  This is a perfect Gospel for us this weekend.  We know what it’s like to feel like we’re on a boat in the middle of a terrible storm, and trying to take care of it ALL by ourselves.  Maybe, like these disciples in our Gospel today, we too feel like we are drowning.  We have people that stressed out.  And yet, today, Jesus asks us, “Why are you terrified?”  This Gospel reminds us that we are not alone.  And the One who is with us, has the power to do anything.  He can not only save our necks, but He can also calm the seas.  If only we would recognize Him.  If only we would turn to Him, and give Him the chance, instead of relying on our own limited abilities.  This Gospel reminds us that we cannot save ourselves.  That is why we need a Savior.  That is why we need Jesus in our lives.

        There are always going to be storms.  Sometimes the storms of our lives are going to seem out of control.  And that might be true for us.  But they are never out of control for God.  Entrust your WHOLE live to our God.  He doesn’t want just part of your life.  He doesn’t want to just hear from you when you’re terrified.  He wants all of you, all the time.

May God bless us on this Sunday, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!