I recall a story told by a Priest during his homily about a military ship which caught on fire.  There was much commotion, men trying to put out the fire, others who’d been burned and still others who had been knocked into the water.  There was not one person on the ship who wasn’t impacted in some way by the fire.

Even though all the men were trained for combat situations, when an unforeseen event happens, it can cause you to act in a way you don’t expect.  Some people, due to training and instinct, jump into action.  They make split decisions and take charge, doing all they can to overcome the problem at hand.  Yet there are others who become paralyzed, unable to process what is happening around them.

In this particular retelling of what the Priest later shared was an actual event, all of the men worked together to get themselves and others to safety.  Someone had the forethought to let down the raft boats to collect the men stranded in the water.  Someone coordinated efforts to put out or at least work to contain the fire.  Someone collected rations, as much as they could manage.  Someone called for outside assistance.  Each one doing what they could to bring the whole to safety.

It became clear the fire would consume the ship and everyone should take refuge in the smaller boats.  As they began to account for everyone, they were unable to find the Captain.  The men looked around, scanning each of the boats and the water.  He could not be found.

Then a loud noise from the ship caused the crew to look up and then they saw him.  The Captain was standing calmly on a part of the ship that had not yet been consumed by fire.  The men panicked, yelling and screaming to the Captain to come to safety.  The Captain yelled back to his crew, not to come back and put themselves in jeopardy.  They should save themselves.

The Priest chose to share this story to show how Jesus, our Captain chooses to stay with the burning ship for the good of the crew, all of humanity.  Jesus died so we could live.

The ‘someone’ I referred to in my retelling of the story is the Captain, AKA Jesus.  He is sending out lifeboats to save you from shark infested waters.  He is coordinating efforts to put out fires.  He is collecting rations to sustain you through the tough times.  Jesus is the one answering the S.O.S. call.

Additionally, I think those in the military have much to teach civilians about watching out for one another.  When my daughter was in the Army, she talked about the extensive training and how each soldier was assigned a Battle Buddy.  This person was your responsibility.  You were to do all you could to never let anything bad happen to your Battle Buddy.

I think in the story of the burning ship, there could have been a few people acting on their own behalf, but I believe through their military training, most of the men were working and thinking as one.  They were committed to the safety and well being of their Battle Buddies and their Units.  It is this dedication to each other that makes them stronger.

This what the scripture tells you to do.  God has appointed you as watchmen for others and you are to do all you can to save your brother and sister.  You haven’t been assigned a specific Battle Buddy like in the military, instead God’s assignment is for you to care for all of mankind.  He calls you to watch out for everyone you encounter.  You are responsible for their safely and they are responsible for yours.

It is not enough to just take care of yourself and do what is best for you.  God says, you need to protect others as well.  In doing so, you will save yourself and others!