Dear Editor,
Chapter 4 in the Gospel of St. Mark, in the 35th to 41st verses, presents a very chilling yet inspiring tale. Let’s recall that frightful evening when Jesus had fallen asleep and a storm emerged:

“One evening Jesus and his disciples set out to get to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus fell asleep. A great windstorm arose, and waves were spilling into the boat. The disciples were terrified and screamed at Jesus to wake up, saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ Jesus woke up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, into a great calm. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Now, the disciples feared Jesus and said, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”

Clearly, this poignant and stirring parable is set at a time of great trial and tribulation. It creates a backdrop for a time of fear, where despair brews thick and vast. It is a time when the disciples found themselves in the midst of a terrible storm and cried out to their master, who then commanded that the wind and the waves be still, and so they did.

But this begs the question, “Who then is this (Man) that even the wind and the sea obey him?”, and what symbolism and bearing does this storm and this Man have in the proverbial “storm” that we currently face?

As we reminisce on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and journey through Holy Week, we find ourselves in the middle of a raging storm. Now this storm is quite unlike any other preceding storms. It wasn’t detectable on even the most advanced or sophisticated Doppler radar; neither did it come with any warnings.

This storm, much like the one described in the Gospel of St. Mark, emerged overnight, and came raging at full force. Since its arrival, this storm has been ravaging countries all over the world, including us here in tiny Belize. It has sparked widespread fear and panic, and basically, it has people terrified and screaming for help, wondering if we are perishing.

Well, without even having to mention it, that proverbial storm being referenced is that of COVID-19. It has brought in its wake sheer destruction, devastation, fear and widespread panic. People are on edge and are terrified and beyond their wits. Healthcare workers along with government officials are trying fervently to seek to contain and mitigate this storm.

It has subjected many people to being prisoners in their homes, closed businesses and organizations, sent economies teetering on the brink of recession and collapse, rendered millions unemployed globally, and, not to mention, closed shut many churches. With all this pandemonium around us, and with this storm raging with fury, can it be calmed?

Referencing back to the Gospel of Mark, as the disciples trembled with fear and worried with trepidation, they cried out to their Master, and Jesus woke up and calmed the storm. Now while this storm is very much different from the storm referenced in Mark, the fear, anxiety and worry that it evokes are very much synonymous. Jesus is the Savior of the World, and similarly, if we cry out in earnest sincerity, he will hear our cries and respond to our needs. He is willing and able to protect us and cleanse our land, thus calming the storm that rages.

But more than just the storm of COVID-19 that rages wild and seemingly uncontrollably, is the mental storm of agony and fear, worry and strife that rages in our minds. It’s the storm of fear and worry that has rendered us to the point of feeling desolate, hopeless and even forlorn.

There is this ever-constant battle that rages like the stormy seas in our mind— a battle between faith and fear. When we allow fear to overcome us, we find ourselves trapped in a corner and boxed in.

But if we allow faith to triumph, and call through Jesus’ name as we stand in awe of God, he will hear our cry, and calm the storm that ensnares and enslaves us.

Let your faith be stronger than your fear, call on God to calm your mind and console your hearts and He will calm the storm in us, protect us from the inherent threats and dangers of COVID-19, and heal our Land.

Let your faith be stronger than your fears, and He will calm your storm.

God Bless Belize!
Rudolph A. Neal