When there are 900 channels on your Direct TV channel guide, it is easy to ignore scores of valuable channels among lots of junky ones. So I never knew I had EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) until I was channel-surfing late one night and stumbled upon it. Some of my more saintly (I mean that as a compliment although they are too modest to accept the description) Catholic friends say they received their deep education in the Catholic faith from this channel. It must have been God’s divine plan for me to find the “Mother Angelica classic” episode from 1995 entitled “Walking on Water”. In it Mother Mary Angelica (the foundress of the channel), addressed many issues that had lately been on my mind: Saint Therese the Little Flower, the End Times, and how to “walk on water” during stormy times.
She read from the accounts of both Mark and John (Matthew and Luke also mention the incident) of how the disciples were rowing their boats in stormy water and were afraid when they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. “Be not afraid; it is I,” Jesus said to them.
She spoke about how we all have to suffer in our own way, and all must bear Jesus’ words in our minds each day to have courage.
· When you are persecuted for Jesus’ sake
· When you or your loved ones face sickness and/or death
· When you, like the disciples that night, are just plain irritable with the day’s work at hand
I am not facing any grave crises at the time but do need the courage to ask for God’s Grace to handle all the daily demands of raising four children. He always brings me the words I need to hear, exactly when I need to hear them. I know that, had I come upon this program in 1995, I would not have been open to hearing them. God’s ways are so mysterious and awesome.
