Saturday of the Third week of Ordinary Time (2 SM 12:1-17; Mk 4:35-41) Most of us are well aware of the Gospel story where Jesus goes onto the boat and where the storm suddenly comes up and the disciples get afraid. They wake up the Master, who calms the storms, and all is back to normal. It seems a very happy and powerful story, of a powerful miracle. In fact even the disciples comment “who is this whom event the winds and the sea obey?” The story starts with Jesus saying, “let us go to the other side”. Why did Jesus go to the other side? After all, on this side there were huge crowds around Him. While gospel today does not provide the answer, a little further reading will give the answer, and it is closely related with Jesus’ own image as the “Good Shepherd”, and where He is going there for certain specific lost sheep. He is going to the other side, where He must be proclaimed as Lord. The Good News is not just for a few people, who are “friendly” with Jesus and the chosen people. It is also for those who might seem inimical to the Good News. Next, we find Jesus sleeping on the boat. When does a person sleep? A person can sleep perfectly well only when he is in total control, and nothing can disturb the person. When we are disturbed by something, we find it difficult to sleep, and we toss and turn all night. However, Jesus knows that He is perfect control, thanks to a wonderful relationship with His Father. Even though the storms are lashing, and the waves seem to toss the boat, Jesus sleeps perfectly well through it all. On the other hand, we have the disciples on the boat. Perhaps at the beginning they ignore the little problems of the wind and the seas. Later, they perhaps think that they can overcome the problem on their own strength, making use of all their years of experience as fishermen, who had perhaps gone out often on these waters. It is interesting to note that both the winds and seas seem to be against them. We too have perhaps experienced similar things. When things are good, everything seems to be going in our favor. However, when things go bad, problems and worries seem to come from all directions. In fact, those from whom we took support (just as the sea supported the fishermen with their livelihood, and the winds guided them), suddenly seem to work against us. When the storm and the seas both seem to engulf them and the disciples realize that they cannot do it on their own strength, they cry out the Master. Their prayer seems more of a complaint – “do you not care that we are drowning”. Yet, Jesus answers even this prayer, and calms the sea. Jesus calls them people of little faith. One may say (as the famous song go), “with Jesus in the boat, I can smile at the storm”. For some people that is what is faith, and what Jesus was talking about. Some others may say that faith would have been, when the disciples had commanded the storms and sea to stop raging, and they would have obeyed. However, there is yet another angle of faith which is ignored. If they really did have faith, they would have taken it to Jesus, at the very first moment the storms and seas even seem to threaten. Rather it seems that the disciples had more “faith” in their human capabilities. They wanted to keep Jesus aside (or rather not disturb Him) and continue on their own strength. Jesus allows them to continue, perhaps to let them know that without Him, they cannot do anything. It is also interesting that the crowds were willing to wait and run after Jesus for even little things. On the other hand, here are his disciples, with Jesus on the boat, and yet, it the midst of this great problem, they do not even approach the Lord, until things literally are out of control, and they are in danger of perishing. It is in light of this that we understand St Paul saying, “by faith, we can enter”. A child (as Jesus had taught the apostles to call on God, in the prayer, “Our Father” ) does not wait. Even if the parent is sleeping, and at the slightest sound of thunder, the children will often rush from their bedroom and come where the parents are sleeping. Jesus, wants to be “troubled” with requests (and thousands of them) from His children. There is that beautiful hymn which speaks about “taking everything to the Lord in prayer” Heavenly Father, increase our faith, that we may be able to bring to you everything in prayer.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:41:30 +0000
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