Fanny Crosby was probably the most prolific hymnist in
history. Though blinded by an incompetent doctor at six weeks
of age, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. About her blindness, she said:
It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should
be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If
perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not
accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had
been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about
me.

 
The Sea of Galilee is, I understand, is like Scotland, and the weather
can change in an instant from benign to frightening. There are many
ravines to the north and east of the lake which create wind tunnels.
These can whip up the waves on the lake at a moment’s notice and
strike terror into the heart of even the most seasoned sailors, as
these fishermen disciples undoubtedly are.

The fishing boats are about
24 feet long, with a little cushioned seat in the raised part at the
stern. At most they might accommodate a dozen men, but it would be
very open to the elements.
In their fear for their lives the disciples go in faith to the one
person who can help them. Jesus, we are told, is sleeping. Jesus the
divine yet oh so human is sleeping because He is exhausted from the
day’s preaching. But, in an instant He is awake and meets them in
their fear.

With one sharp word, nature has obeyed its Creator, but
the disciples do not get away scot free. They are told off for letting
their fear rule
They forgot for a moment that He is their anchor.
Is Jesus your anchor?

Will your anchor hold in the storms of your life?

You have a lovely day with the family, a special happy gathering, one
of the best who’ve known. You come home on top of the world to an
answer phone message from your best friend. They sound a bit fraught
but you don’t worry as they are prone to dramatize things. But you
phone them anyway – and they tell you of a visit to the doctor who
tells them they don’t have long to live.
Will you anchor hold in the storms of your life?
You’ve had good news at work. At long last the promotion you’ve longed
for has come through. You’ve worked hard for it, long hours of
overtime, maybe you’ve neglected the family a bit. But it’s worth it
now. A bright future ahead. So you take the family out in the car for
a day at the seaside. After a picnic lunch you suggest a walk along
the cliffs. Everyone is so excited and happy you’re a family again.
But you fail to spot an uneven patch of ground near the cliff edge,
you stumble and fall several yards down the cliffs. When you regain
consciousness it’s to be tod your neck is broken and you’ll spend the
rest of your life in a wheelchair.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of your life?

You spend the weekend in the garden, it’s starting to come right, it’s
taken years to get to this stage but all the hard graft is paying off.
The mortgage is nearly paid off too only a few years to go, just so
long as your job is safe and you’ll be fine. On Monday the boss calls
you into the office, and tells you, very reluctantly, you have to be
laid off immediately. At your age the prospect of another job is grim
and the building society inform you they are going to foreclose and
you will be homeless.
We all react differently to the crises in our lives. They can bring
out the best [and the worst] in us. We can allow them to overwhelm us
or we can take hold of them and, trusting God, make the best of
things. One thing is for sure, none of can expect to get through life
without being tested and it all too easy to turn in on ourselves and
say ‘Why me?’

In the presence of Jesus, the disciples see a storm turn into a calm.
So, too, can we find His presence in a crisis if WE LET HIM. His
presence transforms even the darkness of death into the light of
eternity. His presence in our suffering CAN bring us peace because He
has been there before us. His broken, bleeding body on the cross and
the empty tomb are witness to Him breaking the power of evil once and
for all.
But it takes courage and faith to trust Jesus in our worst crises. As
we meet Him in the Mass, as we share the bread and wine that is His
body and His blood, freely shed on the cross for us, so He reaches out
to us with the assurance that no matter what the future holds, we can
face it better with Him than without Him.