Help! It's an emergency!

Jesus, teach me to stay calm, pray and do what I can in an emergency. Amen!

The Apostles were out on a boat with Jesus when a terrible storm began. Jesus was asleep, so they woke Him up, crying, "Teacher! We're going to drown!" Jesus yelled at the storm: "Quiet! Be still!" Suddenly, everything was calm. Jesus turned to His followers and said, "Why are you afraid? Don't you have faith in God?" They were amazed at what Jesus had done.

When you're a kid, adults are always warning you about what to do in emergencies: Call 9-1-1....Run to a grownup you trust....Don't open the door or talk to strangers....Yell for help. Older kids might learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver to save people who can't breathe or are choking.

Of course, most "emergencies" don't turn out to be a big deal, but it helps to be prepared. The Apostles learned that in this week's Gospel (Mark 4:35-41).

When a storm started around their boat, the Apostles panicked. Most of them probably didn't know how to swim, and they were probably afraid lightning would hit the boat. Not knowing what to do, they freaked out and woke Jesus up, yelling for Him to save them.

Jesus reminded them of the most important thing in an emergency: Stay calm! If you run around in a panic, you probably won't be able to think of how to handle the problem.

That's why adults tell you the same things over and over again -- so when you're scared, "Call 9-1-1" will just pop into your head right away.

In the Gospel story, Jesus took over and helped out the Apostles, stopping the storm. He also pointed out one thing that's always a good idea in an emergency: prayer.

Having faith that God will help you get through a scary situation can be just as reassuring as knowing the Heimlich maneuver!