Mark 4:35-41
ON that day, as evening drew on, [Jesus] said to His disciples, "Let us cross to the other side." Leaving the crowd, they took Him 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?"
Refuge amid life’s storms
When I was young, our family would go to the beach every summer. I always looked forward to our outing since I could play in the water and frolic on the seashore to my heart’s content.
Those moments on the beach were doubly memorable because of my father’s presence. He would teach me how to swim. He would bring me some distance from the shore and leave me to try to float. But each time he let go of me, I would panic. I would cling to him and cry out, "Do you want me to drown?" His calm response was reassuring, "I am here, close to you."
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites His disciples to cross Lake Galilee with Him. They readily accept His invitation. But when their boat is in the middle of the lake, a violent squall comes up. Waves break over the boat, which starts to fill up. Strong winds threaten their lives. They feel abandoned by Jesus who is sound asleep, oblivious to their troubles.
They wake Him up and remonstrate, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" They are, in fact, asking Him if He really cares. Their words reveal their doubt of Jesus’ care and love. It is as if Jesus cannot be counted on.
The Lord’s reaction is typical of a true friend. He wakes up and calms the sea. He asks, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" What He is saying is this: "I’m here for you. Don’t you know Me?"
The disciples’ reaction is one of great awe. But it also reveals that they still do not know Jesus fully and, hence, do not trust him completely.
They have walked with Jesus, eaten with Him, heard Him speak, witnessed His miracles. They call Him "Teacher," but they have yet to see Him as a friend they can count on. The incident of the calming of the storm still reveals them as men of little faith.
It is one thing to say that we believe in Jesus. It is another thing to turn to Him instinctively when we find ourselves in trouble, when we have nothing or no one to hold on to. At such a time, does our faith inspire us to call and hang on to the Lord? Have we reached the conviction that the love of Christ who died for us would not allow anything to separate us from him (see Second Reading)?
The most dramatic time in Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino’s struggle against the Marcos dictatorship happened when he was put in solitary confinement at Fort Laur, Nueva Ecija. He knew very well that no one among his family or friends had any idea where he was. There was only God. He was afraid that God might "take a siesta," and then there would be no one to watch over him.
The Lord is always around. He may appear "sound asleep" as when He seems so distant. But He is there whenever we call upon Him.
I never really learned how to swim. I was too afraid to trust even my father. I did not know then what fathers are for. But I grew up and learned that fathers were always there for their children. My father is no different.
Maybe we should strive to know our Lord better. Then we can rest secure in Him even when life’s storms come up.
SOURCE: "365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
|
