Twelfth Sunday of the year (June 20, 2021)
Job 38:1, 8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41
One night, a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you in my arms."
All of us in this world are anxious or fearful about something. It ties in with stress and worry. Today many people around us, due to Covid-19, are facing tough economic times including loss of jobs, loss of homes, and nowhere to turn. When we experience fear or anxiety in our lives we tend to underestimate God's power and what He can do for us. We trust a great deal in ourselves and ignore God’s presence. Often we feel the situation in which we find ourselves in is too big for God.
Let us understand the Gospel in its context.
To make meaning of Jesus’ rebuke we have to go back to the life situation of the early Christian community to which the Gospel of Mark was addressed. Mark’s community was a persecuted community, a frightened community, a community where many were required to pay with their very lives for associating themselves with Jesus. Mark’s church was like a boat sailing precariously through the stormy sea, in danger of being swamped by the waves. Yet, even though he had promised to be with his church, Jesus was not intervening to put an end to the crisis. Even though he had promised that the gates of hell would not prevail over his church the fact is that the church was being decimated. How did the early Christians react to this crisis that threatened to swamp them like a storm? They resorted to prayer – a sort of prayer of protest to Jesus who looks on and does nothing while his people are dying? Is Jesus sleeping in the boat while Peter’s bark (an old name and symbol for the church) is sinking? Prayer was their means of waking him up.
Due to Covid-19, many Christians today demand that in such difficult confused and frightening situations where to find the presence of Jesus. It looks as if he is not close by, fast asleep, or far away and does not really care of the struggle of his people. It is there the people cry out to say, Lord don’t you care? We are drowning. The storms have taken control over us and the enemy is torturing us. Jesus now comes and says I am there with you and he will calm the storm in the life of the church community. The invitation for us today is to focus on our Lord who is in our life boat and not on the storms that have surrounded us.
Just like our Lord who has placed his trust in his Abba and seem to have fallen asleep, let us put our trust in God. He will calm our storms and make our life journey smooth and comfortable.
(You are most welcome to add your thoughts and reflections below)
Happy Sunday
Very Meaningful.
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