He was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep.

In the previous chapter Jesus has been in a boat teaching the crowds gathered by the lakeside. He has been using many parables to proclaim what the reign of God is like.

Now Jesus is in the boat with his disciples, crossing over to the other side of the lake, when a gale begins. The waves are breaking into the boat so that it is almost swamped but Jesus is in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. Is this a picture of the reign of God?

An exhausted Jesus lies down in the boat and sleeps, in spite of the storm and the waves breaking into the boat.

When have we known someone who in exhaustion slept through a storm in a boat on the sea? When have we known someone who trusted that his followers could bring the boat – and himself - safely to land, no matter what storm they faced?

I am reminded of the true story of a very young, dedicated, Italian missionary priest in North America almost two hundred years ago. He was the only Catholic priest for thousands of miles.

One picture given is of this priest, exhausted after a day’s work, rolled up in his blanket on the ground, sound asleep, while all around him a heated argument is taking place concerning the Catholic faith. He is “in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep”, leaving his disciple, Michael, a young Native American neophyte, to deal with the “storm”.

I remember also a story about Pope John Paul II. Someone asked him how he could sleep at night with all the weighty matters he had to deal with every day. His reply was that before going to bed he reminded God: “This is your Church”.

In this way he was able to rest and be renewed so that he could begin again in the morning to take up his responsibility. The storms would rage but at the end of each day he could lie down in the stern of Peter’s boat, put his head on the cushion and sleep.

The truth is though that often we get frightened. We experience the storms and feel ourselves unable to deal with them. We panic. We forget that God is with us. How many times have we not shouted: “Master, do you not care? We are going down”?

That too is a sign of the reign of God. We recognise our own poverty, our own inability, our need for help. This comes out in a cry from deep inside as we try to wake Jesus.

How have we experienced Jesus waking up and rebuking the wind and saying to the sea: “Quiet now! Be calm!”? The “storms” that had terrified us suddenly ceased. We were left with our mouths wide open. Who can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.

Jesus leads us to a deeper understanding of the reign of God. Why were we so frightened? How was it that we had no faith? How is it that we panic when God is with us?

Who are the Jesus people today who, even as they respond to our cries for help, challenge us to grow in faith and in freedom from fear?

Let us pray
Beloved God! You are always with us! All creation has come into being through you.  And yet we dare to call you Abba. Thank you for your presence with us.
Thank you for those, who are so filled with a sense of your presence, that they can face whatever comes, trusting in you. Thank you for those who, having experienced your saving, enabling presence, trust that you will enable others also to steer their boat safely through any storm.
Thank you for teachers who have trusted in us. They helped us to recognise that your power in us could enable us to cope with unimaginable challenges.
Sometimes we do not really believe in your presence. We say that we do but we feel the need to control things ourselves. We cannot rest. We find it impossible to lie down in the boat and rest our head on the cushion and fall asleep. We lie awake at night worrying and planning. Then next day we are nervy and tired and cannot give our full attention to our responsibilities. We forget that the one who rebukes the wind and calms the sea is still with us.
Forgive us Lord.
Help us to let go of our fears and to trust you. Help us as a people to trust your presence with us and to dare to face the challenges of the present moment. Help us to learn to trust each other.
Amen

Christina Araujo, formerly of the Touch of Christ Deaf Community, is a Sinsinawan Dominican novice.