Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

 

Jb 38:1, 8-11

Ps 107: 23-26, 28-31

2 Cor 5::14-17

Mk 4:35-41

 

St. Mary Catholic Church, Gainesville, TX

 

          A few years ago, I was blessed to be able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. One of our first stops was the Sea of Galilee. We recalled the many stories of Jesus and his disciples that took place there. As we boarded the small boat to take us from one side of the lake to the other, the waters were calm and a slight breeze was blowing. It was peaceful and restful; nothing at all like the Gospel reading we heard today!

The Sea of Galilee rests in a valley surrounded by steep hills. At times the winds can funnel down into the valley and cause violent storms arise without warning. This is what was happening to the disciples. The waves were crashing over their tiny boat and threatened to sink it. Even the seasoned fishermen were terrified. And yet, through all of it, Jesus was sleeping peacefully in the stern, the rear, of the little boat. In Sacred Scripture, perfect trust in God is portrayed by a peaceful and untroubled sleep (Job 11, Ps 4, Prov 3). But the disciples did not yet fully trust Jesus. They frantically woke him, calling him ‘Teacher’ for the first time in this Gospel. And rightly so, for he is about to teach them a powerful lesson of faith. The disciples have a vague idea he could probably do something about the storm they felt would surely kill them all, but they didn’t understand why he did not seem to care to do anything about it. They accuse Jesus – not just ask him – they accuse him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And Jesus awakes and sternly rebukes the storm, the winds, and the waves “Quiet! Be Still!” using the same words by which he silenced the demons earlier in chapters 1 and 3 of Mark’s Gospel. Calm is restored and the disciples look on in amazement. Jesus then turns and rebukes them.

The reprimand of the fearful disciples by Jesus is the key to this Gospel passage: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” The Gospel teaches us the need for faith in the face of the trials, troubles and concerns of the world. The disciples had been travelling with the Lord and learning from him, but when it was time to use that knowledge to live in faith, they failed miserably. It is one thing to understand the teaching of the Lord, and quite another to be able to live out that teaching. If the disciples were students (and they were), one could say they passed the class, but failed the lab! And so it is with us, is it not? We who call ourselves Catholic Christians too often learn the teachings of the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition, we learn the teaching of Holy Mother Church, yet when our faith is put to the test and we face adversity in our lives, we become fearful and fail to live as we ought.

Our faith must move from a world of theory into the practical experiences of everyday life. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, who is true God and true Man (CCC 423) “Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself.” (CCC 1814) Faith is an act of trust demonstrated most when we are tempted to lose confidence and patience in God.

Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples demonstrated their lack of ability to live life conformed to the knowledge he had given to them. We say “yes” to Christ and to all he reveals because he is truth itself. We say “yes” with our total selves: our intellects, our wills, and our bodily actions. Our “yes” includes doing God’s will once we know it. Our “yes” means that we will trust that Jesus Christ is with us in every circumstance. Proper faith is trusting God with courage even in the most distressful situations. Having faith means trusting God to move in His time, in His manner, and according to His will, not ours.

The disciples in the boat uttered the most dangerous and destructive thought that can enter our minds: “Lord, do you not care?” It was not a question – it was an accusation. We make that same accusation all too often, don’t we? Relationships die when we believe someone no longer cares for us. Human relationships as well as our relationship with Jesus Christ. Like the disciples we can feel overwhelmed by the situation we are in. we wonder if God cares about our suffering. In times of distress and suffering, when we lose sight of Jesus and are tempted to wonder if he cares about the storms around us, we have to search for Jesus in the same place the disciples found him. In the nave, the hull of the boat. In traditional architecture like in this beautiful church, the central part of the church building is the nave (the boat). The church is our boat and Jesus always rests in it; there in the tabernacle. St. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4 that the boat with the disciples and the sleeping Jesus is an image of the Church.

If you can see the signs of the times, you can clearly see we are in a period of great challenge for those who want to practice the faith. Every one of us will need more learn more doctrine, practice more virtue, and above all, grow more in faith so as not to be like the terrified disciples in the boat. Sometimes the storms that buffet us come from outside – government, political nonsense, the culture of death, and the lies of postmodern society. Sometimes they come from within the church; dissention and disunity among our shepherds, bickering and disobedience among the flock of the faithful, and scandals among the clergy. The Gospel tells us the storms of life will always come. The presence of storms in our lives does not mean we are not following the will of God but rather, the storms are the unavoidable result of following God's will. Storms arise in marriages and in families, in our professional, personal, and social lives. Storms will take the form of persecution, natural disasters, and personal troubles. But no storm can stop the mission of the Gospel. Jesus will allow us to endure trials, but in the end nothing can truly harm those who trust in him (Lk 10:19). Persevere and call out to God in the midst of the storms!

We want Jesus to be in our boat especially when we face the storm. He will enter and not leave, but there is a catch. His presence requires our complete obedience and unwavering trust. It is not enough allow Jesus into our lives as friend, teacher, healer, prophet, or messiah. We must give him total dominion over every aspect of our lives as the Risen Lord. Trust him in the midst of every storm. St. Augustine reminds us “Christian, Christ is asleep in your boat. Wake him up, and he will calm the storm and your fears ... You are afraid because you are asleep; you are tossed about on the stormy desires raised by the breath of those who tempt you to do evil because your faith is asleep.” (Sermones, 361,7) The most repeated command of Jesus in Sacred Scripture is “Do not fear!” Why is this? Because when we refuse to give in to fear, we counter the strategy of the evil one who seeks to turn us away from our missions. When we have no fear, Satan trembles in fear of us.

 St. Joseph, Most Faithful, Pray for Us!