Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BOAKYE YEBOAH

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF KUMASI, GHANA.

ANXIETY

Anxiety is the feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. Like the Apostles in the boat in today’s gospel passage, one might feel anxious when faced with difficult problems at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision.

For the Apostles in the boat that night, three things made them anxious and those three anxious moments fall under three types of anxiety. First, is Panic Anxiety and this is connected to the fear the Apostles had when a storm rocks their boat. The second type of anxiety that can be linked to a situation in today’s gospel is Paranormal Anxiety and this happened when the Apostles presumed that a ghost was walking towards them. The last state of anxiousness is known as Situational Anxiety and this was felt by Peter alone when he made the attempt to walk on sea and he then began to sink. In this reflection piece, I will link the various types of anxieties to the incidents in today’s gospel passage.

The first type of anxiety is known as Panic Anxiety. Panic anxiety is a type of anxiety that involves sudden and intense feelings of fear. When people experience panic attacks, they may experience a racing heartbeat, chest pain, trembling, sweating, a sense of impending doom, feeling out of control, or feeling as if they are going to die. The storm brought panic anxiety to the Apostles in the boat. Remember, it was seasoned fishermen on the boat that night who were used to fishing in stormy weather. If they were afraid then that storm must have been life threatening. All of us face different storms in life that at times make us anxious. Anxiety created by near-death situations can never leave the memory of a person. Some of you may remember my unpleasant incident last summer when I was returning home after my summer holidays in the US. We had traveled about three hours and we were somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when we were made aware that for some reasons the pilot needed to turn the plane around back to JFK in New York. There is nothing that creates more anxiety than the unknown. For me, the memories of planes that got lost in the Middle of the Indian Ocean were very fresh in my mind. People sitting around me saw my priestly collar and begged me for prayers. I have never prayed in such an anxious moment as I did in this instance. We thank God that we returned safely to JFK in New York.

This is my story and I think you may have your own story. In this world, anxious moments surround us and since we do not choose our battles, we should continue to keep faith in the Lord that in all these anxious moments He will keep us safe as He kept the Apostles safe that night. If the Lord walks with us then no matter the storm, we will not fear because he has the power to silence every storm.

I call the second type of anxiety Paranormal Anxiety. In the field of psychology, it is known as “Phasmophobia.” It is a persistent and intense fear of ghosts. People with phasmophobia might know that their anxiety isn’t based on reality. Still, they can’t control their fear, which can cause significant distress. Research indicates that people with phasmophobia are particularly affected by insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and a chronic lack of sleep. They may find it difficult or impossible to sleep alone due to their fear of ghosts.

The Apostles became anxious when they presumed they saw a ghost walking towards them. Paranormal events divide opinions in our world. Some people believe in paranormal activities in our world while others do not have room for it in their lives. The thought of the Apostles seeing a ghost indicates that belief in paranormal activities has been with humanity for a long time. I am not ready to philosophize or theologize on paranormal events but what I am confident in is that God has control over anything that can threaten his children. If ghosts, witches, and Satan agents exist and prey on people, I can tell you that they do not have room to operate in the life of a child of God. In our world today, some people live in fear because of paranormal activities but one should deepen his/her faith in God more than entertaining fear in paranormal activities.

The third type of anxiety is known as Situational Anxiety. Situational anxiety is a common type of anxiety triggered by certain situations. This state of anxiousness was felt by St. Peter. At times when some people face a current situation, they may become anxious because of fear.

Lack of deep faith in the Lord and doubts can create anxiety in a Christian’s life. In the gospel passage, we are told that it was St. Peter who made the request. His request was granted by the Lord and he was given the opportunity to walk with Jesus on the sea. But, instead of paying attention to Jesus, he focused more on the advancing storm. I would like to think that for some of us our anxious moments are not created because Jesus cannot be of assistance to us but rather, we pay more attention to things that stress us and make us anxious. It is very human for one to find him or herself in that state of life but we need to learn to put our faith in Jesus. There is no anxious moment or a type of anxiety that Jesus cannot handle for you so put your faith in Jesus. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.