Volcanoes, Storms, and a Sleeping Christ

“Why are you terrified? Do you not have faith?”

While many of us enjoy “the great outdoors” we have largely shielded ourselves from the rhythm of the natural world, and so we tend to forget just how powerful nature can be. In fact for all the talk of greenhouse emissions, carbon footprints, and global warming, human efforts pale in comparison to what the world can do without us.

Krakatoa is a caldera in the Indian Ocean. In 1883 Krakatoa was a volcano that exploded with the force of 200 megatons of TNT. That is 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the bomb that devastated Hiroshima during World War II. It is four times the yield of the largest nuclear device ever detonated at 50 megatons.

The explosion ejected 6 cubic miles of rock and was heard nearly 3000 miles away. One hundred and sixty five villages were destroyed, and more than 36,000 people died. Many more thousands were injured by the blast. The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa. 

Had this occurred on a mainland near a heavily populated metropolis the effects would have been catastrophic.

In ancient Israel, when Jesus walked among us, the people understood the power of the natural world. When the Gospel according to Mark tells us of the disciples being caught in a storm at seas, we read that they were terrified.

But Jesus seems to sleep through all this, curled up in the bow of the boat. When His followers wake Him up they ash Him, “Rabbi, do you not care that we are perishing?”

In response Jesus rebukes the wind and orders the sea to be still. Immediately all is calm and the Lord asks them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not have faith?”

The Catholic Church is under attack, both from without and within. Rather than things getting better over the last few years, the storm seems to only be getting even more severe. Around the world the Church is being persecuted. The Bark of Peter (bark is another word for boat) is sailing on rough seas and is in danger of sinking.

And it does not seem to us that God is doing anything about it. It is almost as if He is asleep while we are being swamped by the waves. But the question Jesus puts to His disciples applies to us as well, do we not have faith?

This was the situation in Mark’s time. Mark’s was writing primarily to Roman Christians at a time when it seemed the nascent Church would not survive. The Church was heavily persecuted and the destruction of Jerusalem was only a few years away. So what was their response? They went to prayer. It was a prayer intended to “wake God up.”

Our challenge is to keep our faith even when the sun is not shining and the storm seems overwhelming. Can our faith allow us to believe in Jesus to the point where we are willing to let Him sleep? 

Pax Vobiscum
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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© Lawrence Klimecki

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Deacon Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary art that seeks to connect the physical and the spiritual.. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith