Just Like “Perfect Storm”

This morning I celebrated mass and the Gospel passage was from Matthew 8: 23-27: Jesus calms a storm. I remembered an unforgettable experience I had while crossing the sea on a small fisherman’s boat several years ago. It was the month of December and I was on my way back to my parish. The only mode of transportation going to my parish, which was on a remote island in the north, was by hitching a ride on small fishermen’s boats. That time, I was able to hitch a ride on a small fisherman’s boat that was loaded with construction materials – iron bars, galvanized iron, bags of cement, etc. Since that was the only boat that would travel to the island at that time, I had no choice but to take that boat ride. People from the islands would say that the “ber” months, i.e. September to December are the times that the open seas are very rough.

After about two hours in the middle of the sea, heavy rains started to pour and big waves started to batter the small boat. I was with about ten people on the boat that included its crew. I could tell that the waves were taller than houses, for every now and then the horizon would vanish beyond the waves. We encountered waves about twenty to thirty feet tall. The small boat was beginning to be filled with water because of the heavy rain and the waves. The owner of the boat was already giving instructions to the crew to throw away some of the load from the boat for fear that the boat would sink. But the crew members did not follow the instructions and instead tried to drain the water that was coming inside the boat. I started praying the rosary and asked Mama Mary to save us. I was so terrified that at a certain point I thought of jumping out of the boat and into the water because I couldn’t bear the ride anymore. But there were no life vests! And I thought to myself, “What will happen to me if I jump out of the boat?” For me that was the longest boat ride I ever made in my life. We crossed the open sea for more than six hours under the heavy rain and in the midst of gigantic waves.

And so, looking at the experience of the apostles, I could relate with how terrified they were when a fierce storm hit the lake and the boat was in danger of sinking. But Jesus reminded them that he was in the boat with them. And because of their fear, Jesus told them “What little faith you have.” I realized that was exactly how I felt after that unforgettable experience in crossing the sea under fierce conditions. I must admit, my faith was challenged because of my fear. I understood then that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear. I once saw a poster with the message: “Do not fear. It may be stormy now, but it won’t rain forever.”