Saturday 3 week in Ordinary Time HEB 11:1-2, 8-19 MK 4: 35-41

"Why are you terrified?  Do you not yet have Faith?"

I get a kick out of the Apostles.  Here they are in a boat with the God of the Universe and their boat starts to fill up with water. So they see that Jesus is taking a little cat nap in the front so they wake him up.  They don't say, "Jesus better get up and put a life jacket on, we're starting to sink!"  NO, they are like, "Don't you even care that we are all starting to drown!" (my emphasis).

Now anyone with a wife and kids knows what it is like to be the parent trying to calm a fussy baby while the other kids are fighting and breaking things and you're trying to work in the middle of it all.  You look at your spouse and you're like, "Can't you see my hands are full!?  Do something!"  This feeling of being overwhelmed makes you forget who you are talking to and you snap at them like the Apostles snap at Jesus.

I've been on both sides of this scenario.  As comical as putting yourself in this scene is I still think there is a serious lesson here.  I think it is about selfishness.  When we are self-centered I feel like my boat is taking on water and that's when I reach out and find Jesus sleeping or feel like my spouse doesn't do anything.  I don't see their struggles, only that they're not helping ME.

Short digression, one time there was a reporter that was wanting to interview St. Mother Teresa.  She was in prayer and he did not want to interrupt her conversation with God.  Another sister told him to go ahead it won't bother her.  So he did.  He reported the encounter as if she went from talking to Jesus to really talking to Jesus.

Our Lord is always with us.  He's in our home, the tractor, he's there working cows, and even changing diapers at 3 AM.  We must talk to him constantly through prayer, this flushes out our self-centeredness.  Instead of feeling like our boat is about to capsize and we are yelling, "Why aren't you helping!!" he might be like, "Because you didn't ask."  we should now visit with him all day.

So what?  How do we do this.  I'd say take 5 minutes at noon and look over your morning with him.  Take 5 minutes at night and look over your day with him.  See when you depended on you and not him.  Look when you lost faith and let him in on it.  Like my man Padre Pio says  PRAY HOPE AND DONT WORRY.