Mk 4:35–41
On that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them,
“Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.”
So they left the crowd, and took him along in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water. Jesus was Jin the stern, sleeping on a cushion.
They woke him up, and said,
“Master, don’t you care if we drown?”
And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea,
“Quiet now! Be still!”
The wind dropped, and there was a great calm.
Then Jesus said to them,
“Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”
But they were terrified, and they said to one another,
“Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
REFLECTION
Having grown up on an island, sea travel was the only way we could go places. This was before low-cost air travel was available. On one occasion we were caught in a sudden storm. All the lights went off as our boat was being tossed violently to and fro by the raging waves. Children were crying in fear while adults in their quiet dread were trying to calm them. In terror my sister and I were clinging to one another while praying for God’s help. We were relieved when the captain found a cove where we hid to weather the storm. I can’t help recall this experience as I read this narrative of Jesus calming the storm. In life, there are situations that leave us feeling anxious and fearful, powerless and out of control, almost as if we are in a boat on a stormy sea. The predicament of the disciples is ours too. We tend to be overwhelmed by many problems and concerns, making us forget that Jesus is already with us if only we call upon him. These are moments when we realize our faith in Jesus is still inadequate. It needs strengthening and deepening through prayer.
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