"The boat will not sink"

Back in 1917, our Lady came to three little children in Fatima and She asked specifically that reparation would be made for crimes and blasphemies against Her Immaculate Heart. One might say, “What does that mean?” Today we see that blasphemies against our Lady are increasing and running rampant, even by Catholics or so-called Catholics. We have lots of people who are denying articles of the faith with great regularity. It is getting to the point now in our society, where among those who wish to call themselves Catholic, we find ourselves to be fewer and fewer who really believe in much of what the Church actually teaches. We see many things that are happening around us, and all we can say is that things are getting a lot worse; they are getting a lot closer. The number of hurricanes and tropical storms set a record last year; the number of earthquakes set a record last year. The number of natural disasters is beyond what anybody can seem to comprehend.

Now what we can do is, of course, do not get panic. All we need to do is to remember what St Little Therese pointed out with regard to the Apostles. When Jesus was sleeping in the boat with Apostles and the water was entering the boat, they were panicked because of the storm; Jesus was sound asleep. They woke Him up, and Our Lord rebuked them and said, “You of little faith”. Did they really think with Jesus in the boat that the boat was going to sink? That should be self-evident to any of us. We may notice that the Church is like a boat that is taking in water from all sides. It is sinking! But Jesus is in the boat, and as long as you are in the boat with Jesus, the boat will not sink. Jesus promised us that the jaws of hell would not prevail against the Church. That is a guarantee from the lips of our Almighty Lord! So long as you are in the boat, you have absolutely nothing to fear.

It will appear to many that Jesus is sound asleep. It is a constant complaint that we hear that Lord is not answering to His people’s prayers. The suffering that people are enduring is becoming more and more manifest by the day, and getting more extreme. Remember! These are great gifts from God. And while it may not seem that He is answering our prayers or listening; we should have faith and stay in the boat. Do not be stupid and try to jump out of the waves and wind and all the enemies that are out there.

The only way we are not going to jump boat is if we keep our focus on Jesus. The only way – and I mean the only way – we are going to remain faithful is if we pray. If you do not know Jesus Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, you will not make it. It is just that simple. If you are not spending time with Jesus in prayer, you are not going to make it. Jesus is right here in the bow of the boat, in the Tabernacle, silent, passive, hidden in that simple and humble host. But He is right there in the boat, and as long as we are with Jesus, we are going to be fine. But if we take our focus off of Him, we are in serious trouble.

Ask St Peter when he tried to walk across the water. As long as he was focused on Jesus, he was just fine. As soon as he took his focus off of Jesus and watched the wind and world, he began to sink. We will be no different. Spend time in prayer every single day. I do not mean while you are relaxing and watching TV, cranking off a little prayer on your way out the door or scratching the sign of the cross in a hurry when you go to sleep. Spend at least one hour in prayer, if you are an ordinary Catholic (I mean, if you are not involved in any ministry). Throw that stupid TV away, first of all, and pray. How much time every day do you spend in front of the TV? How much time every day do you spend in front of the Tabernacle? Who is your God? That is what we really need to ask ourselves.

We have to choose today whom we will serve. If you are going to say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”, then prove it. Words are powerful. Put into practice. Jesus Christ is truly truly present in the Tabernacles of the world. Spend time with Him. Get to know Him. Get accustomed to the way that He deals with things, and then be at peace, because even if He does not seem to answer your prayers, even if He seems like asleep in the boat, it does not matter. He is God! As long as He is in the boat, it will not sink. As long as we remain in the boat, we will be saved!