Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
May your kindness, LORD, be upon us; we have put our hope in you. Psalm 33:22
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” John 6:19-20
PietyJesus, too often we put our hope and protection in someone else’s hands rather than yours. Help us to make room in our heart and our lives for you. No matter where we are, you will then have a chance to reach us and draw near, overcoming our fears and kindling our hopes. Amen.
Studyhttp://www.usccb.org/nab/042107.shtml
What does it say? To really get a sense of what’s happening here, let’s get our bearings, something that the disciples seem to have lost this night…
Above is a map[1] of the
The disciples were rowing a boat in a sea with heavy winds and waves. The distance from Tiberias (where Jesus fed the 5,000 with two barley loaves and five fishes) to Capernaum was about 6 miles across the water – maybe 8 at the maximum if they were hugging the shore in the bad weather as safe sailors might.
When they had gone about halfway to their destination (
What does it mean? If you were rowing that night, how might you react?
Fear for the safety of your friend who is out on the rough seas. Fear wondering how and why he walked to your boat rather than just joining you when you set out from Tiberias. Fear wondering if something had happened to him and you were seeing a ghost.
Jesus has no limitations on time, space and distance like the rest of us. He wants to come close to you if you will only let Him. There are no physical barriers that Jesus cannot overcome. Time. Space. Distance. Night. Day. Water. Mountains. Roads.
What does it matter?
If your heart is open and you believe, Jesus will make a place to reside and abide in you despite the obstacles. He will reach you no matter where you are if you but put your hope, not your fears, in Him.
Action
After a week like this, Jesus may seem particularly far from our world.
Every day, more than 80 Americans die from gun violence. (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence) As shocking as that seems, in comparison to
There are people trying to help. Do you know about PAX and the campaign to end gun violence? They have launched a toll-free number (1-866-SPEAK-UP) where a student can anonymously report the presence of a threatening gun.
PAX's SPEAK UP Campaign has proven that school shootings can be prevented. According to government studies, in 81% of school shootings the attackers tell other students about their plans beforehand. Based on this fact, PAX created the national 1-866-SPEAK-UP program, featuring the first and only national hotline for students to report weapon-related threats (1-866-SPEAK-UP). The hotline has received more than 20,000 calls in only five years. Countless tragedies may have been prevented as a result.
It's still too soon to say with certainty whether 1-866-SPEAK-UP could have prevented the tragedy at Virginia Tech. But what is certain is that it has already prevented countless others like it. That is why it is vitally important, as our nation turns its fleeting attention to the issue of school shootings once again, and the risk of copycat tragedies runs extremely high, that we include prevention as part of that dialogue. Make sure you tell any youth you know about this special toll-free number (as well as 911) where they can call in the event of an emergency.
No comments:
Post a Comment