Posted by The WORD in other words (2015) by Fr Xene Sanchez SVD – Kinshasa, Congo
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B
One of the first thing they taught me as a “bush missionary” was to take off my shoes before boarding the canoe. Crossing the wide rivers of Congo was dangerous and the canoes made of hollow tree trunks could capsize easily. Without shoes it was easier therefore to swim and save one’s life.
I was told that several years ago, in the nearby village, a group of pregnant mother boarded the canoe. They had to be on the other side of the river to have medical checkup in a health center. A storm caught them by surprise and the canoe sank. Everybody drowned including the boatman who preferred to die with the pregnant mothers than to face the blame of the whole village. Lakes and rivers are more perilous than sea. No wonder why many people are scared of them.
In the Old Testament, the waters were considered as a terrible monster and symbol of all negative and evil forces. If you see bi waves rocking by your boat and the strong winds blowing with horrifying sounds you can really be frightened. Only God was capable to tame the sea and prevent it from harming people.
The setting of the Gospel (Mark 4,35-41) today is in the lake of Genesareth. Jesus asked the disciples to cross the other side and, while doing so, they fell asleep. A terrible storm came, so strong that even the disciples, mostly expert fishermen, panicked. They woke up Jesus, “Master, do you not care? We are going to drown!” Jesus talked to the sea as if addressing a person: “Quiet now! Be calm!” A great calm followed. Now Jesus questioned them in turn: “Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?”
Mark recounts the story to impart many lessons. Leaving the shore, the stable ground, to cross the rocking water is to take a risk. Following Jesus entails letting go of our security and being ready to face danger for a cause. The consolation is that we are not alone; we are on the same boat with other disciples.
In times of trouble we get the impression that Jesus does not care. He seems not to know that we are perishing. But he is just testing our faith. If the boat collapsed., he would have drowned too. Note that Jesus did not say: “Have you no faith?”
It is important to underline the word “still.” That means that faith is not static, it is in constant growth. Later on the disciples’ faith will grow and become so strong that they are able to face all kinds of dangers without panicking. They know that Jesus is on the same boat with they. He is capable of calming all kinds of storms. Even the wind and the sea obey him.
