“Quiet! Be still!”

What does the calming of the storm signify? The calming of the storm shows that Jesus Christ is God. “Jesus manifest his divinity by exercising authority over nature. According to the OT, God alone has the power to subdue the raging seas (Ps 89:9; 93:4; 107:28-29).” [1] Jesus did not ask God to calm the storm because He is God. Under His command, Jesus tells the storm and sea to be still and immediately it obeys. “Jesus wants to convince those first disciples, and us too. That there is no compromise possible between him and his doctrine on the one hand, and the world as a kingdom of sin on the other.” [2]
 
Why does nature listen to and obey God? Nature and all elements were created by God. Nature does not have free will, it only acts based on another force or action acting upon it. For example, nature cannot create a tornado on a cloudless dry sunny day because it needs other elements to occur.
 
Activity – Praying the Scriptures
Pray Liturgy of the Hours Sunday Week 1 or you can read Daniel 3:56-88 below. I might be good to read the whole story in the book of Daniel (chapter 3) to give the right context from when the three men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the golden statue. They were thrown into the fire but were saved by God. In part of their great prayer, they cry out:
 
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
 
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
 
Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
 
O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
 
Once finished reading, see how many different forms of nature were asked to bless the Lord. Why would they tell all these parts of nature to bless the Lord? It is because God is in control of everything and thus everything must bless the Lord. BONUS: It would also be good to read the first reading from today when God speaks to Job about placing the waters where they are.
 
If Jesus is in control then what am I supposed to do? Some may think that since Jesus is in control, we do not have to do anything. This is incorrect. Jesus has straightened the pathway for us. He has even provided us the vehicle (the Church) to get us to our final destination (heaven). We are the ones at the wheel of our lives but Jesus is so gracious that He set the cruise control so we do not have to worry about speeding. While this is not a perfect example, hopefully it helps to better understand that God gives us free will. We can take the wheel and go off the track, but we do not have to. Even when the road gets bumpy we can still trust in the road because God has paved it for us. Here on this earth we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet. We are called to proclaim the Good News, to call upon Him to calm the storms in this life, to take care of this great planet that He gave us, and most importantly we are called to know, love, and serve Him here in order to be with Him in the next life. 

[1] pg. 73 Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
[2] Fernandez, In Conversation with God. 3, 98.2