My Reflection for the Week
“An SVD Priest Drowns at the Barrier Reef!” That would have been a 
shocking headline in the local newspapers on 1st October 2001! Yes, that would have been. But actually this is what happened… A family friend invited me (after a pastoral commitment) to go snorkeling at the Green Island, a small coral bay located right on Great Barrier Reef, situated just 27 kilometres east of Cairns, North Queensland.
shocking headline in the local newspapers on 1st October 2001! Yes, that would have been. But actually this is what happened… A family friend invited me (after a pastoral commitment) to go snorkeling at the Green Island, a small coral bay located right on Great Barrier Reef, situated just 27 kilometres east of Cairns, North Queensland. While enjoying the snorkelling, I drifted unawares from the shore by an incoming afternoon tide. Suddenly the waves overwhelmed me and I began to fight for my life. I panicked and cried out, “Help!” I realised I was drowning! I heard a woman’s voice from a distance, “Are you okay, Father?” “Nooo!,” I shouted back before going down under the waves. I gulped in a suffocating amount of salt water. Then I came up to the surface and cried out the second time, “Help! Help!” In no time, Karen (her real name), whose voice I heard earlier, approached me quickly. Then, she grabbed me; made me lie on my back facing skywards. She told me to relax. Supporting my back with her steady hands, she then swam me to safety to the shore. Later, Karen told me she’s a certified life-saver!
Prayer:
Lord, my God, when I cried for help you came to help me. Thank you for sending me Karen at the right place and at the right time. Through her, you delivered me from another close call.
With the Psalmist, I cry out for help, “O God, come to my assistance; Lord make haste to HELP me!” (Psalm 69:2).
With the Psalmist, I cry out for help, “O God, come to my assistance; Lord make haste to HELP me!” (Psalm 69:2).
