Be Still

12th Sunday In Ordinary Time
21 June 2009



We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Job 38:1,8-11
From the heart of the tempest the Lord gave Job his answer. He said:
Who pent up the sea behind closed doors
when it leapt tumultuous out of the womb,
when I wrapped it in a robe of mist
and made black clouds its swaddling bands;
when I marked the bounds it was not to cross
and made it fast with a bolted gate?
Come thus far, I said, and no farther:
here your proud waves shall break.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 106:23-26,28-32

Second reading 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.

From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here.

Gospel Mark 4:35-41
With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’


Reflection
By Grace Madrinan

I am rather ashamed to say that in spite of everything that God has blessed me with, I still lack faith. It may not have been obvious to some, but my mind goes in circles each time I am faced with uncertainties. The little faith that I have is shaken. What if my plan won’t work? What if something happens to me? What if they don’t like it? What if…what if? The list of questions is endless.

I am not apart from the disciples when Jesus said to them in today’s Gospel, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" Ouch! Hit me big time. Reminded me of an instance last week where I found myself lost in an unfamiliar place in an unholy hour. I was stricken with panic at the thought of being grabbed in one of the dark alleys. But God sent His ‘good samaritans’ to come in to my rescue. A jeepney driver and his wife gave me directions on what to ride and they dropped me on a well-lit busy street. The driver’s wife even accompanied me to the tricycle station and gave strict instructions to the driver on which road we should take to avoid the unsafe routes. That night, I have witnessed how God’s hand took me to safety.

You know what, I was actually thinking that the storm in today’s Gospel may not really be as violent as the disciples thought -- perhaps, it may be a little furious than usual? But because fear overcame them, the waves looked bigger and the storm grew stronger. That’s how I am, too. I react hastily to adversity to the point that it overwhelms me.

When God ordered the wind to be ‘quiet’ and ‘be still’, I believe He asks us to do the same. Quiet. Be still. I heard a lay preacher who once told that the product of silence is prayer, and the product of prayer is faith. He pointed that the word ‘silent’ is actually an anagram for ‘listen’. It is only when we are silent that we can listen to God’s voice, “Be still and know that I am God”.





Father, thank You for rescuing us in times of adversities. May we learn to keep still and listen to Your direction, in Jesus’ name. Amen.