12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Job 3: I. 8-11; 2 Cor. 5: 14-17; Mk 4: 35-41
Eve!y time that we set out on a journey, there's a certain amount of trust involved. When the journey is potentially hazardous, we need to trust that we'll overcome all the hazards to reach our destination. Today's Gospel is about a storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples' fear of drown ing, their feeling of abandonment and their for help. In the near East, the sea symbolised the power of chaos and evil in the struggle against God - a throwback to the time of creation when, in Genesis, the sea is identified with the formless void of the deep, and it's only through the action of the Creator that the heavens and earth are formed, and the deep is held in check.
When the storm blows up on the Sea, Jesus is fast asleep. Swamped by the situation, the disciples panic and rouse Him. Seeing their fear and panic, hearing their distress and helplessness, Jesus immediately calms the storm. And with the dropping of the wind, and the calming of the waves, they're awestruck at this Presence with them in their boat.
In our life of faith, we may sometimes have feelings of being close to God. But then there are the times when we wonder about His presence, or even begin to forget the God we seemed to know so well previously. Occasionally life demands a lot from us, especially in periods of darkness, suffering or pain. And at such times, we can begin to feel really isolated, afraid, alone, totally unable to cope with our present situation. We may even fear that, like the disciples, we're sinking, going under. Today's Gospel, however, reminds us that the God Who is with us in the good times is the same God Who is there with us in the bad times too - He's always present, whether we recognise His presence or not!
After the Second World War, a prayer scratched on the wall of a building was found - possibly written by a victim of the Holocaust. The prayer was a recognition of a God present in all situations, no matter how difficult. It was a prayer about faith in a faithful God; It was a prayer for the desperate. But above all, it was a prayer of hope. It ran like this: "I believe in the sun, even when it does not shine. I believe in love, even when I cannot feel it. I believe in God, even when He appears to be silent!"