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Fr. Joseph’s Weekly Missive for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
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June 20, 2024
“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 4:39-41)
The major theme for this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time centers on the role of God in calming the storms of life both in the history of the Church and in the lives of Christians. The readings describe how God has managed to control the storm in the raging sea, which with its murky depths has been associated with the powers of evil, ruin and chaos. The readings invite us to put our attention and focus on God above all else, trusting in His kindness, compassion, mercy and power to rescue us from all evil calamities and disasters of sins and death, to bring us to true joy, peace and happiness of eternal life.
To Hebrews, the sea is one of the basic elements from which everything is formed. At the beginning, God separated the seas from land and formed a three-story universe: (1) the earth, (2) the heavens above the earth, and (3) the waters beneath the earth. The waters, which are sometimes called tehôm (the abyss or the deep), surround completely the universe.
Many ancient peoples personified the sea as a great monster, e.g. the Mesopotamians called it Tiamat; the Canaanites feared the sea creature Lotan… etc. the Israelites believed the sea to be under the control of God. The Hebrew Scriptures reflect how God has power to tame the fearsome creatures of the depths, to part the sea so that the escapees from Egypt could travel to freedom.
Because God is almighty, we should seek and look at God and trust in His merciful love to rescue us from all harm.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, how can we trust God more to face the storms in our lives?
Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.
