A Storm is Coming! Are you prepared?

A Storm is Coming!  Are you prepared?

The question is not are you prepared, but just what type of storm will this be?  Will I be susceptible to immediate death or some kind of crippling adherence that no one can correct?  

Perhaps we can say that those with irresponsible attitudes are the ones that may not even care about what forecasters are warning us about whatever comes let it be.  

Identifying some storms can tell us what to expect in the aftermath of the winds, flooding, and destruction each one will leave after the calm arrives.  The disciples on the boat with Jesus, when  the winds began to whip up and the waves were almost ready to capsize their boat, they knew, from experience, what can occur on the sea.  (Mk 4: 37 - 38 a).  .

When they cried to Jesus with; they woke him and said to him; “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still.”  The wind ceased and there was great calm.  Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?  Do you not yet have faith?”  (Mk 4: 38 b - 40).  

Who among us, when the storms of our lives, seem to be obscuring any sense of reaching for the Lord and trusting he will also say, “Quiet!  Why are you afraid?”  

Again, we need to give a name to each of these storms that affect our well-being that suddenly appear and point a finger of guilt on our weakness.  Could we call them out, at least to ourselves, and confront each one as they blow in causing us to call on the Lord?  

Sometimes we are caught in deep waters that threaten our safety like our good-standing or our knowledge of right from wrong that opens its ugly head and tells us we finally went too far.  However, we cannot  go too far because of weakness.  God is too good to us and will not allow us to succumb to doubt that the devil tells us, “Aha, now you’ve gone over the edge and who do you think you are that God will forgive you?”  

That is the old cliche he uses constantly inciting a penalty for those times we keep on struggling as we are in the storm of no return.  Remember the words from Romans:  “The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life  through Jesus Christ  our Lord.”   (Rom 5: 20 - 21).  

Over and over, we need to bring into our minds the words from the Exultet at the Easter Vigil;  “O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which granted for us so great a redeemer!” 

Sin is an obstruction before God.  Yet, he loves us more than we could ever understand  by forgiving us each time we fail because that is the essence of God.  He only knows Love!

Ralph B. Hathaw