Jesus Asleep?
By: Eric Gajewski
Matthew 8:23-27 At that time, Jesus got into a boat, and
His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea,
so that the boat was covered by the waves; but He was asleep. So they came and
woke Him, saying, Lord, save us! we are perishing! But He said to them, Why are
you fearful, O you of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the
sea, and there came a great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of
Man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?
Let not your heart be troubled. God is still in control both in your
individual lives and with His Church.
There are far too many complaining by raising their voices to God demanding
God end this crisis in the Storm. Be careful
lest you tempt the Lord with your contemptuous tongue. God has a plan and does not answer to man
thus we must continue on until Jesus Himself desires to end the Storm. Which one of us will add a few years to our
lives by worrying about when God “will act” in this crisis? None of us therefore we must continue to
labor on and control what we can control.
Perhaps God knows best? Perhaps even
better than you? Perhaps the more time that
is granted unto man to convert the more actually will? Let us take a look at todays gospel and apply
it to this current crisis in the Church.
Jesus Got into a Boat. Our Lord chose to enter into the earthly life
through Mary thus ought we not do the same?
Do we not preach to come unto the Sacred Heart by first entering the Ark
or Boat wherein the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts reside? Enter in and do not delay the hour is
late. This same boat or Ship is also the
Catholic Church. Those who do not enter
this boat (at least implicitly; have a desire) cannot have eternal life. This Ship this vessel which St. Bosco
describes in vision is the Ship of Faith and yet it us (like the Apostles) who
cry out as if God is not there! If we
are on the boat we reside in Mary and the Holy Trinity therefore what fear
ought you have other than “abandoning ship” and jumping overboard due to mortal
sin? Stay on the Boat and pray Jesus
will awaken.
Great Storm arises. Welcome to human nature. The Church has gone through trials in times
past and today is no different. Without
the Storm, how can you possibly demonstrate your Faith to Christ? How will you ever “experience” the safety of
this boat if you first do not experience the pounding of the waves along the
sides thereof? Worry, doubt and despair
all displease God therefore we find ourselves on this Boat today to grow in
Faith and ultimately Selfless Love. How
many friends and even family members do you have who have abandoned the
Catholic Faith because the fear is too great?
Unsettled hearts rest in self love and thus we must allow these waves to
pound against the surface so that we can FULLY turn inward to see Our Lord
asleep on this Boat. If it God’s Will
for Him to be apparently “sleeping” in this crisis it is good for me. Gods Will is perfect. I will not raise my voice unto Him and
demand. No, I will get a blanket for Him
and gladly keep Him warm so that I can further grow in Faith and Selfless
Love. Man sees problems on the surface
but an Eagle can see the opportunities God is presenting to them and will take
full advantage of them. How many have
died from fright attributed to the Storm when in reality they went untouched?
We cry out save us! Much like a young child we cry out in this
hour saying “deliver us” from this evil and yet Christ still “seemingly sleeps”. We can pray without demanding. We can cry out without giving into
despair. We must understand we can only
truly perish if we abandon this Ship. We
do not perish if we remain on this Ark. Yet, in another sense, it is on this
boat, we all must learn to die to self and thus it will feel as though we are perishing. It is never easy to hand over “all things” to
God thus we must do as Our Lord asks. He
who would seek to keep His life shall lose it and those who hand it over to Our
Lord shall find a whole new life. On the
other side of this trial the Apostles understood this I believe. For in the end is it not enough to simply be
gazing upon our Beloved sleeping in the Boat?
TradCatKnight Exclusive: Into the Storm
O ye of “little faith”. Well, at least our Lord indicated that the
Apostles had faith to a certain extent albeit “little Faith”. We begin to grow in faith the day we begin to
see Jesus always and pay no attention that we are in any Storm? We begin to realize that it is painful to
cling to self when we keep our carnal eyes fixated upon the Storm. Pain is a realization that something “is
alive”. What is alive in your
heart? Is it self? Or is it Christ who says unto you this day, “Come
and lay down with Me and rest a little in this Storm”. How will you act in the coming
Tribulation? Will you do laps around the
perimeter of the Boat shouting out to Jesus deliver us as soon as the Storm
starts? Or will you make a place next to
Him and sleep? His yoke is easy is it
not? You do not grow in Faith without
trial therefore if you continually find yourself in the trial and complaining
then God is trying to send you a message which you are simply not
understanding.
What manner of Man is this? It is in this Storm that you will truly find
Him to be your God and best friend. It
is in the Storm where you can see for yourself whether it is God who controls
your heart or whether the Storm controls it through fear. Perfect Love cast out all fear and if you are
on the Boat with Perfect Love Himself then we ought unify our hearts with His. Love cannot be overrun run by the waves of
this Life. The Wind cannot keep an Eagle
grounded. No, rather, it only helps an
Eagle achieve greater heights! The more
you stay in prayer the more you find out that Christ is more than just a
man. You find out He is the Wind behind
the Sail of this Ship. You find out that
even when He is “asleep” you are safe because you are in His Presence. God’s eyes truly never close nor despise thus
onward we sail. Let us ask the Blessed
Virgin Mary for those graces we need today and this upcoming week that we might
survive the Storm without grumbling, complaining to or even demanding of
Christ. Let us remember, it is rough
seas outside this Boat yet it is intimate and quiet within. Stay focused.
He sleeps for a reason which is beyond our earthly rationale does He
not? Ave Maria!
TradCatKnight Radio: "Eagles & The Storm"