12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
Job 3:1 & 8-11; Psalm 106; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Mark 4:5-41
Notes on the Readings
The First Reading
God speaks to the suffering Job, assuring him that the Creator who made the sea can also control its bounds.
The Responsorial Psalm
This is a psalm of thanksgiving and of meditation upon God's providence.
The Second Reading
Following the saving death of Christ, Paul says that everyone should live for others. The new life in Christ should reflect the way we relate to others.
The Gospel
A sudden wind-storm on the Sea of Galilee makes the disciples fearful of their lives. After the stilling of the storm, the question arises about the identity of Jesus.
Reflection
Sudden violent storms are not unusual on the Sea of Galilee; they can blow up out of nowhere and whip up the water into sizable waves. This can be quite frightening and so one understands how the disciples felt. Although they were seasoned fishermen and used to the Sea's mercurial moods, nonetheless, this particular storm seemed something quite out of the ordinary.
For the people of Jesus' day, the sea and the ocean were places of great mystery and fear. All sorts of stories of large ships being lost without trace and of hideous Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-type monsters hauling vessels to Davy Jones' Locker in their spiralling coils abounded. Experience of the unpredictability of the sea and its moods all contributed to a great fear of and respect for the deeps.
For the Jewish people, their God had overcome the chaos and darkness of the primeval oceans and tamed them into bringing forth creation and life when his Spirit hovered over the depths. God alone is Lord of the winds and the seas. When Jesus lay asleep in the back of the storm-tossed boat, he was not oblivious to his disciples' fear, but he trusted totally in the power of God's authority over the wind and weather, a power he shared and eventually invoked to calm the storm.
The Church has often been symbolised as a boat charting uncertain waters and tossed about on a sea of troubles. While these may seem overwhelming at times, Jesus is on board with us. He may sometimes seem not to care or to be asleep, but the fact is, he is 'on the case' and fully alert. He will not let the boat founder and it is never out of his control however much it may sometimes have to steer a course through icebergs and rocky channels, be occasionally swamped or run aground for a while. He is with us through it all, he is in control and ultimately has the power to steer us through a sea of troubles and calm any storm.