12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Job 3:1, 8-11
Corinthians 5:14-17
Mark 4:35-41
The Lord of the Storm
To know that Christ is with us amid all the turbulence of life is a great cause for
celebration and thanksgiving. With Christ, the turbulence can become the birth pangs of a
new creation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
As we continue in Ordinary Time, our reading today is taken from the Gospel of
Mark, the primary Gospel reading in Lectionary Cycle B. Mark's Gospel presents a vivid
portrait of Jesus, whose words and deeds show that he is the Son of God. Today's Gospel
describes the end of a day of teaching in Jesus' ministry. Jesus taught the crowd in
parables and then offered explanations of these parables to his disciples. Jesus then led
his disciples away from the crowds and into the boats that they will use to cross the Sea
of Galilee. The sea and its surrounding area are the settings for Jesus' teachings and
miracles in this part of Mark's Gospel. Today's reading describes how Jesus calmed a
storm at sea. It is the first of four miracles that are presented in sequence at this point in
Mark's Gospel.
As is typical in Mark's Gospel, Jesus' disciples are frightened by the sudden storm; they
do little to inspire confidence in the reader. Mark notes the contrast between the
disciples' terror and Jesus' peace. Jesus is sleeping, untroubled by what is going on
around him.
The disciples' words to Jesus are telling. They are familiar enough with Jesus to
dare to wake him. Their words to him are words of reproach, questioning his care for
them. A careful reader might wonder what the disciples expected Jesus to do. Are they
more troubled by the storm or by Jesus' inattentiveness to their needs? How many of us
have rebuked a family member or friend for not agreeing with our assessment of the
severity of a situation?
Today's Gospel offers evidence of Jesus' power and authority as he calms the
storm. In his day, power over nature was believed to be a sign of divinity—only God
calms storms. Jesus' rebuke of the storm also echoes the rebuke he uses when he talks to
and expels demons. In each situation, Jesus' power and authority is a sign of his divinity.
Indeed, the disciples are left wondering about Jesus' identity at the conclusion of today's
Gospel. They see before them a human being who acts with the authority and power of
God. The disciples' uncertainty about Jesus' identity is a recurring theme in Mark's
Gospel.
Brothers and sisters in Christ!
This Gospel is a metaphor for our lives. We are in the boat, the storms of life are
raging around us, and like the disciples, we may believe that Jesus is unconcerned, or
“sleeping.” We hope that we will be as familiar with Jesus as his disciples. If we feel that
Jesus is sleeping, are we comfortable enough to wake Jesus and present him with our
needs? Jesus does not rebuke his disciples for waking him. Instead he rebuke them for
their lack of faith, for their lack of perspective. When we bring our worries to God in
prayer, we might just begin to learn to see things from God's perspective.
Mark narrates this story not only to recount the memorable event of the storm, but
also to reflect the experience of the early Christians. The boat bearing the disciples and
the sleeping Jesus is an image of the Church (see Eph 4:14). The small and struggling
early Church, storm-tossed on the seas of the vast Roman Empire, must have sometimes
wondered why their Lord seemed to be asleep in the stern—absent, unaware, or
unconcerned about the mortal perils that threatened them. How often have his disciples
through the ages felt that way in the midst of “storms” of persecution, natural disasters,
or personal troubles? But Jesus’ authority is without limit, and though he allows trials,
in the end nothing can truly harm those who trust in him (see Luke 10:19). His reproach
in verse 40 is an invitation for all Christians to awaken their faith in his presence and in
his absolute authority over the cosmos. The true antidote to fear of earthly dangers is
the faith that comes from “fear of the Lord,” the reverent awe of God that Scripture calls
the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7). “He who fears the Lord is
never alarmed, never afraid” (Sir 34:14). Indeed, the most repeated command in
Scripture is “Do not fear!” Why? Because to refuse to give in to fear disables the enemy’s
strategy, which is to dissuade Jesus’ followers from their mission. When we have no fear,
the enemy trembles in fear.
