One day Jesus said to
his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So
they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came
down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great
danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're
going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the
storm subsided, and all was calm.
"Where is your
faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one
another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they
obey him." Luke 8: 22-25
Recently, our son Reese was visiting home from college. The
timing was perfect as his older brother and sister-in-law had just days before
celebrated the birth of their first born child; a beautiful little girl whom
they named Zelie. Wanting to absorb as much uncle/niece bonding time as
possible he basked in the joy of holding her as she lay sleeping peacefully in
his arms for nearly an hour. The evening drew on and their time together had to
sadly come to an end. Zelie and her very tired parents needed nourishment and
sleep.
Reflecting with me later, Reese spoke of how impressed he
was with his older brother. Zelie needed to be awakened and this new father spoke
to her so sweetly and gently, quietly urging her to awaken so that her needs
could be met. Needless to say, he and his wife were exhausted and many of us
could be a bit short tempered, yet the love filling their hearts spoke through
the weariness.
Why does this recent memory recall to my mind the scripture
from Luke, telling us about the disciples in the boat with Jesus during a
storm? He wasn't awakened for His needs to be met, but for the the needs of all
of the men with Him. Where is the connection?
The recent crisis in the Church, the Barque of Peter, has
had me pondering Luke's passage anew as I imagine the scene in the boat, how
terrified they must have been in the squall; in the dark of the storm. However
when I imaging Jesus sleeping in the boat, I see him not as a thirty year old
man but as an infant asleep, rocking safe in His mother’s arms. He is awakened
by His wearied band of men; fishermen who were accustomed to life on the water,
but not accustomed to the life the Master was preparing them for; A life of
Fatherhood.
They wakened Jesus in a state of panic; they had little
faith. Jesus rebuked not only the wind and waves but their lack of trust as
well.
We in the Barque of Peter are in the midst of a great squall
of a storm. We have a tendency to panic at the waves. There are those in the
boat with us that won't bail because to be honest, they ARE the waves that
threaten us. But Jesus hasn't left the boat. He has been asleep in the bow,
waiting for us to awaken Him, not with the faithless cry of fear, but with the
gentle and consistent prayers of a new father, prodding his child, knowing he
will be heard.
The Christ Child is fully divine, fully God, and has the
power to calm our hearts and overthrow the waves that threaten us. Rather than
cry out from fear and distrust, I offer a prayer, a little chaplet from the
Psalms to rouse the sleeping infant. It has been named the Holy Face prayer,
part of which has been taken from Psalm 68: May God arise, may His enemies be
scattered; may His foes flee before Him..."
As there are many translations of this prayer I'll leave you
with instructions for the method I use. I encourage you to search and find a
translation of this chaplet that works well for you and together, let us
trustingly waken the Holy Infant from His slumber and know this storm will
pass.
The
Holy Face
(Making the Sign of the Cross) God come to my assistance,
Lord make haste to help me.
Glory be...
Recite 33 times in honor of the His 33 earthly years: Let
God arise, let His enemies be scattered, let those who hate Him, flee before
His Holy Face.
Recite 3 Our Father's in honor of the Trinity.
End the chaplet with the Sign of the Cross, In the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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