Caught In the Storm

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Mark
     On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
     “Let us cross to the other side.”
     Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
     And other boats were with him.
     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?”
     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?”
     They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
     “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

    I don’t know about you, but a lot of the time I feel as if I am stuck in the storm the disciples find themselves in throughout this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel. Of course I’m not referring to a physical storm (though South Louisiana has had its fair share over the past year), but more of a constant monsoon of busyness, schedules and stress that oftentimes leaves me anxious for what will happen next. 

    I would love to say I’m the type of person whose default is surrender and trust, but that’s never been the case. If something comes up to upend a plan, I panic. If I feel overwhelmed and busy, I shut down. Even if I seem calm from the outside, I can promise you my insides are sounding off like emergency alarms - and this isn’t the way it should be. 

      “Quiet, be still.”

    Jesus commands the sea and sky to calm as He is awoken by His disciples, but just as this storm takes many forms in the shapes of busyness and anxiety, so too does the stillness and peace the Lord speaks over the restless waves. Jesus whispers “Quiet, be still,” over our hearts.
In praying recently about the overwhelming storm of my personal life, I asked something bold from God. I asked Him if He could remind me to rely on Him throughout the day. Since then, it has been a daily challenge to find the small ways the Lord is asking me to rely on His goodness and have faith. Are there some days when I fail miserably? Absolutely! But are there also days when, even in the smallest of ways, I take a small step toward total trust? You bet. Learning to surrender isn’t something that happens overnight, or even over multiple nights; it’s something that is mastered over time. 

Do you feel like you are caught in a storm? In what ways is God inviting you to surrender and have faith? Pray with this Gospel and let Jesus’ stillness wash over you and pray the simple prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

About the Author: Nicole Jones is the Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (Red Stick Catholics) at the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Nicole grew up in Baton Rouge and started getting involved with ministry after experiencing a deep conversion of heart at a high school bible study at Our Lady of Mercy parish. During her time as a mass communication student at LSU, Nicole became more involved with Christ the King Catholic Church and Student Center. It was there that she felt the Lord tugging on her heart to dive deeper into ministry and apply for her current position at the Diocese. When Nicole isn’t working, she can be found spending time with her dog, Indy, and baking the world’s best chocolate chip cookies.
What is a random life hack you have: Sandwiching your cupcake. I hate having a weird cake to icing ratio so I take the bottom part of the cupcake and put it on the top of the icing to make a sandwich of sorts. It’s also less messy! 

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics

The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week. If you are interested in writing a reflection, please email Nicole at njones@diobr.org .