Last Saturday, January 31, this was the Gospel reading at Holy Mass:
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Let us cross to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’ They were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?’ (Mark 4:35-41)
The presiding priest at Mass, once again, gave us an insightful homily. The following is a combination of Father’s remarks and a few thoughts of my own.
In this Gospel passage, we see that the apostles are terror-stricken by a mighty storm at sea. Father pointed out that it seems as if the apostles almost accuse Jesus of not caring about their plight. This comment has stayed with me and I have often asked myself, “Do we accuse God of not caring for us when we lose faith? Do our fears make us offensive to our Creator? Do we denounce God’s love for us?” These are all serious questions for us to ponder.
We all face many fearsome storms like illness, bereavement, unemployment, financial problems, violence, betrayal, etc. During these times, we may feel that bad things just keep pouring into our little boat – one after another. This can cause us to think that all is lost or that there is no way out.
But, as Father pointed out to us, Jesus insists in faith during those momentous times when things seem lost and desperate. In these times of serious apprehension, Jesus asks us, like He asked His apostles, “Where is your faith?”
In Hebrews 11:1, we learn that through faith we achieve things that appear lost. Faith grounds our hope. Yet, often in times of crises, people who give us analysis, opinions and evaluation of our circumstance surround us. Their well-intentioned opinions often exacerbate our fears and toss our boat even more. Confusion clouds our vision like a pouring rain.
Father continued by advising us to listen to these opinions and analysis, but with reservation. Oh yes, we certainly should listen and take special instructions into account. But, then we put our hope in the promises of God. No person can give us a 100% prognosis about any situation. After all, isn’t human analysis based on limited human intelligence?
As Father said God makes “the seemingly impossible possible.” So, let us trust God because He is God. He is All-Powerful. He is All-Knowing. He is Love. We trust God because He does not deceive us.
My contemplation over this Gospel reading sprouted the following simple prayer. I offer it to Our Lord, the One “whom the winds and sea obey”, with a humble heart.
Lord Jesus,
I pray that You send us the graces we need to confront the storms of life. Increase our faith, O Lord, so that we may remember that we are not alone in our tottering boats. Allow us, Sweet Jesus, to feel Your presence in times of trouble. And if it is Your will, we ask that You rebuke the wind and waves that swirl around us during our struggles and difficulties. Gently lead us to a safe harbor so that we may sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to You, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.
