We all know the drill. Tornado Watch. Perhaps even a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. They both mean essentially the same thing: conditions are favorable for storms to pop up somewhere! Do we have what we need in case they do? Is a plan in place, and are we ready?
The Gospel this weekend tells us about the disciples having a chance encounter with a squall, and likely wish they had a watch of some sort in the first place! They get into a boat with Jesus, they start out onto the sea, and Jesus falls asleep. A squall comes up, and begins to drive up waves against the boat, so much that it starts to fill the boat. The disciples wake Jesus, terrified at the prospect of drowning. Immediately, Jesus commands the waves and they all of a sudden become quiet and still. The storm that the disciples had encountered was no match for Jesus. Even if they had no warning, because Christ was already with them, it was something they made it through!
We often need to remember that simple fact: we all have storms that rise up. In the midst of all of them, though, do we need to understand that we need to have invested in our relationship with Christ? Do we realize we are in a “watch” and need to be ready? Yes, we can call out to Him in the storms, and He will hear us. Yet, things will go so much better for us if we invite Him into our boats (and homes, and souls), even before the storms in life- so that we already have him with us! We need to make time for a relationship with Him: at Mass, in Reconciliation, in the scriptures- and wherever we can find Him. Whether they are our storms or someone else’s- let’s make sure we have invited Christ on board our boat before the storms in our lives pop up. Don’t wait until it is too late- and the storm is already engulfing your boat!
