Be Not Afraid

The Storms of Life: Reflection on the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth: who is this that even the wind and sea obeys. Some of us may think like the disciples do and ask, “Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing?” This passage helps us to see that Jesus is who we say he is. The disciples are starting to understand that there is something more here than just a simple man from Nazareth. Even the apostles had to grow in their faith.

That is comforting for all of us. We too need to grow in our faith. The prior week’s gospel passage talked about faith growing like the mustard seed. The seed is a great analogy for faith, it starts out small, but grows over time. Yet, why is it so important for our faith to grow? Jesus says in the gospel: why are you terrified? Don’t you have faith? Faith takes away our fear. Faith helps us to trust even when it is difficult.

Why does God let bad things happen to us?

As we all know, life is not all gumdrops and rainbows. Pain, suffering, temptation, and hardship are a part of our lives. Maybe not every day, but I do think that all of us have those difficult moments. People in your neighborhood and around the world struggle through all kinds of difficulties: physical ailments and diseases, the pain and grief of losing a loved one, the difficulty of losing a job, and just the stress and fatigue that seems to follow us wherever we go. There is always bad news in the world around us too; sometimes it is even hard to turn on the TV to watch the news. It can be tempting to get cynical: everything is bad and that’s all there is to say about it. Or even to doubt God: why would God let bad things happen to good people? This is a question as old as humanity itself. The story of Job from the first reading is probably 2600 years old. What is the story? How a man responds to evil being inflicted upon him. He was a good person, but bad things befell upon him… really bad things.

Why is there evil in the world?

So, if you have ever wondered why, you are in good company. Unfortunately, as this is one of life’s great mysteries, there is no clear answer. A lot of people like to say that God has a plan when bad things happen. But some of us may question that. It doesn’t make sense that God inflicts bad things upon us so that good things happen. I like to think that God is more powerful than that. He could just skip the middle and go right to the good things. Also, we know that God is not the author of evil. We know that he is all-good, there is no darkness in him at all.

God is all-powerful, so he could interrupt the natural world every time something evil is about to take place, but he doesn’t. That doesn’t mean he causes evil. God lets us choose good or evil. Still, we are often faced with that question: why? We might feel like the apostles: Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing.

Jesus cares

Stop for a moment and let Jesus answer that question: Lord, do you care? Of course he does. If Jesus didn’t care, would he have become one of us? If Jesus didn’t care, would have shared with us the Good news? If Jesus didn’t care, would he have died on the cross for us? Would he have given us the Eucharist as his lasting presence? Of course Jesus cares.

All too often, when we are faced with difficulties in our lives, we want to ask the question why. But, there really isn’t a satisfying answer as to why we suffer, why there is pain. But, there is a great answer to the question: what. In other words, instead of asking God why this stuff happens, we should ask God what he did in response to the pain and suffering of the human race. His answer: he sent Jesus. As St. Paul says today: he indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves. Jesus died, so that we might live.

This doesn’t mean that the Christian life is a life without pain, suffering, or temptation. We might experience those storms. It might seem like Jesus is asleep below decks. But, taking our cue from the apostles, we call upon him: Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing? Asking that question in the midst of our difficulties is another way for us to grow in our faith. When we ask that question during our difficult moments, we are inviting Christ into our daily lives. He doesn’t always make the wind and rain stop that instant, but if we turn to him, he will always give us the strength to withstand whatever storms we might face in this life.

 

Gospel Reading – Why are you terrified?

Mk 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

 

 

About the Author

Father Jake Runyon is a priest in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend where he serves as the Rector and Pastor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. This post was originally published on his personal blog Docete and is shared here with permission.