WHO’S THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR BOAT?
Manami, a Japanese student of mine, loves sailing around the east coast of Singapore in her dad’s yacht. She treasures this time spent with him, helping with the ropes while he steers. I asked how she came to be so confident a sailor. She said since she was a little girl, her dad’s been patiently teaching her everything there is to know about handling a boat. They go haring off whenever time permits, just the two of them, sailing off into whatever weather appears, stormy or serene.
I imagine that’s what it would be like if I trusted Christ one hundred percent in my boat and co-captained it with Him. I wouldn’t have half the fear or worry I have now, trying to steer on my own, stubbornly thinking I know what to watch out for, where the rough patches are, how not to capsize. When the sea’s like glass we’d relax and talk about everything under the sun, maybe fish a little – I’d badger Him to teach me how to do it correctly. If sudden squalls arose I wouldn’t panic in the least. I’d work with Him, follow His instructions, and totally believe we’d ride out the storm. I’d be filled with the joy of sailing with Him.
“Do you not yet have faith?”
Yes. But not, apparently, one hundred percent. I think of the apostles in that boat. They had Jesus right there with them, and they still didn’t think He could save them. Worse, they weren’t sure He even cared! That wasn’t the only time: even after His resurrection, Thomas needed physical proof that Jesus was who He said He was. Scripture says Jesus is always here in the boat with me and aware of the storms I’m battling.
But sometimes, I’m Thomas 2.0.
“Who can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.”
There’s a reassuring theme running through the readings and responses this Sunday: the entire universe is in God’s hands. Right from the antiphon we read that He is our strength, our refuge. The psalmist sings of how He controls nature itself as He rushes to rescue His people in distress, bringing them to the haven they desire. Mark reiterates this in his account of how Jesus brings calm and peace with merely a word. Today’s Scripture reminds us our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth (Ps 121, 1-2), and that apart from Him, we can do nothing. But we have to ask in heartfelt prayer for His intervention. We have to ask Jesus to take the wheel and trust that He will steer us to restful waters. Being His children doesn’t mean our troubles are over. But it does mean we have the right to cry out to Him to save us, and that He will hear and answer us. We may not agree with the direction He sets but we have to trust His plans for us.
‘Here your proud waves shall break’
Job’s first response when he encountered the storms of life was, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21b). But even Job, the epitome of steadfast trust in God, broke down and questioned Him. Like Jesus with the apostles, God the Father reminds Job that the whole universe is of God’s plan. Think of Jesus’ words when speaking of the man born blind, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him” (John 9:3). We might not understand why we are beset with misfortune, troubles, terrors. We, too, might break down and question our faith. But if we ask God to enter the storm with us and cling to Him, if we give Him our gratitude and prayers and trust, we become witnesses of His love and real, living presence. And others longing for rescue might see and reach out to Him, too.
There’s something else for us to consider: we are often our own tempest. We plot our courses, unfurl our sails, and leave the harbour confident that we can make it by ourselves. Then we run into gales and choppy waters, or we run aground when we hit rocks. And often, we question or blame God for what happened to our boats. Look around today: it might seem like God has disappeared from the scene. There’s more evil, fear, and pain than ever, and it doesn’t seem like rescue is on the way. But look again: see the people fighting to save the distressed, comfort the terrified, help the weak, defend the vulnerable, protect nature, preserve our Christian faith. Is God truly absent? Has His love abandoned the world?
Paul’s reminder is timely: it is not the fearful crashing troubles of life but the love of Christ that should overwhelm us. Our spirits should overflow with gratitude and humble awe at His willingness to die so that we can rise to life with Him. His substitution for us makes it possible for us to be forgiven for our sin by God’s grace through our faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are reborn, made new. Rescued from the depths.
The wonders He does for men!
As His new creation, we have to die to selfishness and the standards of the flesh. We know Him in Spirit. And with Him in Spirit we have to live for others, as He did for all people. We have to allow Him to be the Captain of our lives, because we don’t belong to ourselves any longer.
Of course, it’s not easy to relinquish control. Job and the apostles clearly felt the same. Haven’t you ever wondered if God really cared about you? Or felt like He doesn’t really listen to your prayers?
But God does care about us, just as Jesus cared about the disciples in the boat. He wasn’t concerned about the storm because He knew everything would be alright. In fact, He could have stopped the storm from happening in the first place. But maybe that was a perfect chance for His disciples to grow in faith, and in the knowledge of who He truly was and what He could do as the Son of God.
Manami trusted her father’s teachings and was willing to learn from him how to be a competent sailor. She’s gown in skill and confidence, because she fully believes he will never let her come to any harm in their yacht. If we had that same total, childlike trust in God our Father, we would never fear whatever life threw at us, no matter how terrifying. In our darkest moments, when we believe we’re alone in that small boat out on a merciless sea with its raging waves, we would raise our hearts to Him, ask fervently for His help, and trust fully that, despite what’s going on around us, our souls could rest in Him.
The next time you’re at Holy Family Church waiting for Mass to begin, take a look at our beautiful stained glass above the altar. See that little scene on the right-hand side of Jesus and the apostles in the boat? Imagine yourself there. Look up at your Lord standing tall in the boat, hands outstretched as He commands the winds and rain to stop. Close your eyes. Give Him your troubles, fears, pain. Thank Him for His love for you, endless as the sea. Ask Him to strengthen your faith and deepen your love for Him. Ask Him to steer you safely. Then put yourself in His hands as you receive Him in the Eucharist.
This Sunday let us pray, that like the disciples we may grow closer to God through each storm, and through these storms come to truly know the heart, and praise the awesome wonder, of a Father who bends the world to His will to save the children He loves so dearly.
May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit melt away all your distress and anchor you in peace!
Article by Joyce Norma, HFC Blog Contributor