Word to the Wise
Sunday, June 20, 2021 - 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B [2012: Birth of John the Baptist]
[Job 38:1, 8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41]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 awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" [Mark]
A friend of mine once showed me a small wooden plaque he had on his wall that had these words: "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes the Lord lets the storm rage and calms his child." There is a bit of comedy in the gospel passage today, at least from our distance. Jesus is asleep on a cushion in a wildly tossing boat while the others are hanging on for dear life if they aren't bailing out the boat! That alone - his napping while the rest are panicking - seems a bit comical, unless, of course, we are in that boat. Then we are the ones who cry, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
If I think over my years as a Dominican friar/priest, I can name more than one instance in my own life when I was in that boat in either role: panicking disciple or calm teacher. Thankfully, the calm teacher role has been more frequent and it still has that bit of melodrama about it. I have had to reassure more than one student that as nasty as their personal storm seems, it is really a "squall" and not a hurricane. Things will calm down with patience and some deep breaths. Jesus works even in his sleep!! Spouses know the exasperation when things seem out of control and one or the other partner looks at them and says, "Why are you so upset about this?" It's hug time, big time!
As hard as it may seem when life is overwhelming, we don't have to wake up Jesus. We may have to do some bailing and tie down a few things, but the Lord who seems to be asleep will help us calm down even in the storm. AMEN