Calm Above the Clouds

Today I was on a flight to Vienna. Everything was smooth and peaceful, until suddenly it wasn’t. The plane hit turbulence. The aircraft began to shake. You could feel it in your seat. You could sense it in the cabin. People stopped talking. Some held their armrests a little tighter. Whenever that happens, the same thoughts pass through everyone’s mind: “Is everything okay? Are we safe?”

What stayed with me was this: the pilot did not come over the speaker, sounding anxious. He did not describe what might go wrong. He did not repeat the fears already racing through the cabin. In a calm and steady voice, he simply said, “We are stable. We are in control.” And it changed the whole atmosphere. The turbulence didn’t immediately stop. But the confidence from the cockpit calmed the cabin.

Life has its turbulence. Sometimes it is personal challenges, other times it surrounds us collectively: in our Church, in our nation, in the world. Conversations grow intense. Opinions become louder. Emotions rise. In moments like these, fear tries to take the microphone. It wants to narrate every possibility and rehearse every worst-case scenario. But panic never steadies the flight; it amplifies it.

Faith, however, speaks differently. The psalmist writes, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). Notice the confidence in that voice. The writer does not deny the presence of enemies or uncertainty. He simply places his trust in the One who is stronger than both.

Faith does not mean there will be no turbulence. It means we trust the One guiding the journey. From our seat, we see only clouds. God sees beyond what we can see. He understands the currents, the altitude, and the direction. He knows how to navigate every crosswind.

I am in Austria for our Bishops’ Meeting. These are important days for the life of our Church. I ask you to pray for us. I believe this with all my heart: the Holy Spirit is not anxious. God is not unsettled by the shaking of our times. He has already charted the course. He already knows the destination.

And the same is true for you. Things may seem uncertain right now. But the turbulence cannot cancel the destination God has prepared. Hold steady. Pray with confidence. And when the shaking comes, let the steady voice of faith echo in your heart: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” With faith guiding your soul, you will arrive exactly where God wants you to be.