Why Storms

By Unknown -

If you have ever walked along the beach after a storm, you know that the wind and the waves churn up and leave a myriad of sea stuff along the shore line, some of it is good like the pretty sea glass and seashells, some of it not so nice like the bits of jellyfish and other dead matter.
The storms in our lives can be a bit like that as well, churning up and exposing a whole lot of bits and pieces of life matter. Here too some of it is good and some can be rather unpleasant or painful. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is the key. In today's Gospel St Peter, in his fear, takes his eyes off Jesus as he attempts to walk on the water to Jesus. How much like Peter I can be! Letting the stuff that life's storms throw in my face distract me, I take my eyes of Jesus and splat, down I go. It is in those moments I have to remember to do as Peter did and pray the prayer he prayed," Lord save me!"
Today is the feast day of St Alphonsus Liguori. In a reflection in Magnificat today, this great saint and Doctor of the Church tells us that God allows these storms in our lives as remedy rather than punishment. The tribulations help us to remember our need for God. The acknowledgement of our need is what allows us to say, "Lord, save me!" Because they are a gift of sorts, we should also remember to praise God and thank Him for the trials and tribulations of life. St Alphonsus tells us there is great grace in this.
It is not easy to do this, but God will save us and show us the way through the storm if we ask Him and rely on His Providence.
I will leave you with a few pearls of wisdom from St Alphonsus Liguori and from a few saints he quoted.

From St Alphonsus:
"Tribulation opens the eyes which prosperity had kept shut."


"By tribulations we atone for the sins we have committed  much better than by voluntary works of penance."


From St Augustine:
"God is a physician and tribulation is a salutary medicine."


From John of Avila:
"A single 'blessed be God' in adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity."


From St Ambrose:
Take away the contests of the martyrs and you take away their crown."

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