The One Who Calms the Storm

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:35-38

As we prepare to begin another school year here at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, this story from Mark’s gospel of the storm on the Sea of Galilee comes to mind. Now, this isn’t because of what is happening at BSM, but because of what is happening in our world and in our country. As I write this, listening to the news in the background, it seems as though the world is falling apart around us. We can feel so very powerless, thinking that there is little that we can do that will make a difference. It’s at those times when we feel the most “powerless” that we need to turn to where the real “power is!” In spite of what might be happening around us, we need to remember that our God is still in control…our God is still with us. The passage I shared above is not the end of the story:

He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” - Mark 4:39-41

So, as we begin another year here at BSM, we do not begin in isolation but in prayer for our world, that one day, together, we might truly make God’s kingdom come on this earth as it is in heaven. We place our trust in the one who calmed the seas; the one who continues to speak to our hearts: “Peace! Be still!” I hope that those words always bring a sense of comfort to you, knowing that we are never alone. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are always with you, my friends. May God bless and keep you safe always.

Love and Prayers,
Mike J