The Church in the World Today
Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?
“When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
As a former Navy sailor, I have spent a considerable amount of time on the world’s oceans. I have experienced first-hand the mighty power of an angry sea. Every sailor who has ever been tossed about by forty-foot waves and gale force winds can testify just how utterly useless you are, incapable of doing even the most basic of tasks like eating or sleeping. The only thing you can do is to lash yourself into your bed and pray for the storm to pass. The Disciples had every reason to be terrified. Mariners being lost at sea is almost as old a story as the ocean is itself.
Only when they thought they were about to die, did they wake Jesus. Without hesitation, he calmed the storm. Then he asked the Disciples, “Do you not yet have faith?” The word faith is interchangeable with the word trust. Jesus looked at the Disciples as if to say, “After all you have seen, after all I have done, do you not yet have trust in me?” The boat was never in any real danger of sinking. The creator was in full control of his creation.
One of the symbolic names for the Catholic Church is the Barque of St. Peter. A barque is a type of ship with sails. The central part of the church where we sit in the pews is known as the nave, which is Latin for ship. The Church is a ship and Jesus is her captain. She goes where he steers. If that is into turbulent waters it isn’t to terrorize us but to make us better sailors, whose full trust is in their captain. The Church can never be destroyed because Jesus is in her and has promised to remain with her until the end of time.
I have seen many people comment on how they don’t like how this Pope or that Pope is leading Church. They say it's Jesus' way or no way, so they don’t have to support the Pope. They believe the Pope is leading the Church away from Jesus or that he just isn’t Catholic enough. He’s not traditional enough or he is not liberal enough.
Jesus’ way or no way. Interesting.
Jesus’ way was that he created the Church, put men in charge of that Church, and gave them his authority to run that Church. He promised to be with the Church until the end of time. Then he sent the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide the Church until he comes back.
Jesus sees the Church as his bride and she is to be our mother.
Jesus said that if we love and trust him, we would be obedient to his commands, which includes being obedient to the ones who hold his authority to lead his Church in our time.
Burger King Catholics, Catholics who want the Church their way or no way, are the newest face of Protestantism. So, is it really Jesus’ way or no way or is it the way you think Jesus want’s it or no way? You’re in good company there with the likes of Luther, Calvin, and Wesley.
The world is a violent sea and the Barque of St. Peter is being tossed about in it. People are scrambling, frantic, and fearful. They believe if something isn’t done the barque will soon sink. We seem to have forgotten that Jesus is always in this ship. Like the Disciples, we are never in any real fear of the ship sinking. Jesus can calm the storm with a wave of his hand. If we are made to endure the storm it is only to increase our trust in him. Trust is an action. The action Jesus is looking for is our obedience to those who he has given his authority over the Church to.
I’ll stick by those who are the rightful holder of the keys to the kingdom and let them guide me as Jesus wanted them to. If Jesus wants to take us through the storm it is only to make us better sailors. The real question is do you trust Jesus? If you do have faith that he will use whomever is in charge to lead the Church where she needs to be regardless of what you personally think of it?
Save us, we are perishing!
Oh, people of little faith.
Evangelizing Worldwide
© 2025. All rights reserved.
Contact Me
