Gospel Reflection For The 27th day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
Mark 4:35-41
35 And he saith to them that day, when evening was come: Let us pass over to the other side.
36 And sending away the multitude, they take him even as he was in the ship: and there were other ships with him. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that the ship was filled. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, sleeping upon a pillow; and they awake him, and say to him: Master, doth it not concern thee that we perish? 39 And rising up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: Peace, be still. And the wind ceased: and there was made a great calm. 40 And he said to them: Why are you fearful? have you not faith yet? And they feared exceedingly: and they said one to another: Who is this (thinkest thou) that both wind and sea obey him?
It is easy to read today’s Gospel and wonder why the Apostles were afraid. But, they were only human. Yes, they knew Jesus was special, at the very least a great prophet who had insights into holy matters that others lacked and they had seen Him perform miracles. At least two of them had already recognized Him as the Messiah. However, human nature cannot fathom the power of God. They could no more understand that He could calm the storms than they would when He told them He would rise from the dead. The natural, human instinct was fear.
I love the ocean. As a passionate fisherman who spent about half of my childhood on or near the beach, the sea is very much in my blood. I love boating, I love swimming out beyond the breakers and I especially enjoy fishing. I love just being near the water, breathing the fresh air, hearing the waves and feeling the salt spray. I even enjoy slogging along in the stench of low tide, gathering oysters and clams. My favorite times are when no one else is around…. Winter, as storms come in or in the middle of the night. I love to be alone with the ocean when the animals come out that the tourists hardly imagine are there – alligators, foxes, deer, bears, eagles, etc. Sometimes, I am out fishing when the wind is so strong it can blow me down. The sky is dark gray, the water is steely, the sand is white and to most, it is the most bleak scene imaginable. I LOVE it! That said, I am terrified of the ocean. Truly, perhaps my worst nightmare would be to experience a storm at sea on a small boat. I have seen hurricanes destroy even large yachts. The boat on which the Apostles were was little more than a moderately sized open row boat or dingy in today’s terms. Our Lord’s companions were in grave fear of death.
I like the metaphor of the sea. Every moment of our lives we are in constant danger. God has blessed us with a tremendous gift called “the normalcy bias.” That is a mechanism of our minds that allows us to find normalcy. Our brains are wired to believe that if we were are safe, well and happy yesterday, we will be today and tomorrow. Were this not the case, no tourists would lie in the sun on the beach where powerful storms can come in quickly, no one would play in the waves where sharks swim and no one would dare go out on a boat that could sink. Without this blessing of our God-given nature, we would be terrified all the time and worried about everything from having enough to eat to crime and war. So, we go through life, as if on a boat… enjoying the sunny days and calm nights. Suddenly, the storm comes and we are aware of dark depths beneath us, the wind and waves that threaten to smash and tear everything apart. We panic. We call to God for help. He calms the storm and we go to life as usual. And that, is the down-side of the normalcy bias.
Just as our minds comfort us enough not to live in constant fear, the mind also deludes us into complacency. Hopefully we go to Holy Mass and pray regularly. When we really need help we call on God with special urgency. Then, our prayers are desperate and absolutely heartfelt. We beg God to save us, our family, even our nation in times of war. In such times, God often answers our prayers in dramatic fashion that strengthens our faith. Without the hard times, we may not ever appreciate God in the good times. But, imagine for a moment if the Holy Apostles had been filled with faith. They could have, as our Lord later told them, calmed the storm themselves in the name of Jesus. The Apostles had amazing authority and power through Jesus, faith that could “move mountains.” We are simple people, striving to be holy but failing constantly. But, so were the Apostles in the boat at that time – they would not become filled with the power of God until Pentecost.
Yes, we must always call to our Lord and God in times of difficulty, but how much better would it be if we walked closely enough to Jesus that we were never troubled? Of course, there will always be things beyond our control and unanswered prayers – even Jesus wept when Lazarus died. But, imagine living with the full faith of knowing that God will take care of everything, always for our good and for the best. Imagine that peace. It can only come through faith and the realization that nothing is actually within our control and everything can change in an instant. As weak as we are, God will not violate our free will. As powerful as He is, God will not prevent trouble coming into our lives. He wants us to ask for help when we need him. But, far more than that, He wants us to rely on His providence, living in faith not in fear. When we can truly say, “thy will be done,” then His kingdom had come into our hearts and into the world.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.