Qua bài đọc hôm nay, chúng ta có thể tưởng tượng đến các Tông Đồ trong chiếc " thuyền " giữa cơn biển động, Chiếc thuyền này là biểu tượng cho Giáo Hội chúng ta, và những cơn bão tồ, biển động là biểu tượng của "thế giới" hôm nay.
Cho tới nay, Giáo Hội chúng ta vẫn còn đang bị bách hại vì sự trung thành với Lề Luật của Thiên Chúa. Hơn nữa, vì những sự khát vọng, ham muốn của con người đã luôn luôn muốn mình được giải phóng chính mình thoát ra khỏi ý muốn của Thiên Chúa. Đức tin sẽ xuất hiện như là một động lực chống lại "thế giới", và như vậy sẽ có sự bắt bớ, sẽ có bách hại vì sự công bằng trong tất cả các thời kỳ lịch sử củ Giáo Hội Công Giáo của chúng ta. Chúa Kitô chịu đóng đinh, Đức Kitô là người công chính nên đã bị bức hại, được các tiên tri trong Cựu Ước tiên đoán trước. Chính Ngài là sự xuất hiện của Nước Trời: " Phúc cho những ai bị bách hại vì công lý , vì họ là nước thiên đàng ".
Today's Gospel reminds us how truly privileged we are as Christians. Our God is always there with His presence, His care, His concern, His perfect love. These blessings are for us to experience, savor, and value anytime we need to, anytime we want to, and anytime we dare to. All too often however, like the scared apostles in the boat buffeted by strong winds, we despair, waver, and lose faith when confronted with seemingly insurmountable problems even while God is always there for us.
How many times did we doubt God's plan for us - during times of illness, financial difficulties, troubled relationships, natural calamities, emotional upheavals? How many times does God have to "still the winds, calm the seas" so that we can be reassured, we can be certain that He shall lift us up when we need Him?
Let us pray not so much for God's help as it shall always be there in ways that we may not readily realize nor appreciate, but rather, let us ask the Lord for the gift of discernment and constant faith that He will give what is always best for us.
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. Mark 4:36–38
Throughout our lives, we can be assured that at some point we will encounter a storm. Not just a physical storm but a spiritual one. It may come in the form of a tragic event, a deep wound inflicted by another, the effects of our own sin or some other painful experience. And for many people, this will happen more than once.
When such a “storm” is encountered in life, it may seem as if Jesus is “asleep” and not readily available to help us through. When this happens, the message of the Gospel above is very helpful to prayerfully ponder.
As this Gospel passage continues, we read that the disciples, in a panic, woke up Jesus and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus got up, addressed the storm and said, “Quiet! Be still!” and all was calm. He then said to the disciples, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” The disciples were left in amazement and wonder.
The key is faith. When we face a storm in life, we must have faith. But what does that mean? It means that we must know, with a deep certitude, that Jesus is in fact always with us. We must know, with a deep certitude, that if we place all our trust and hope in Him, He will never abandon us. We must know, with a deep certitude, that every storm will ultimately pass and that peace and calm will ensue.
Facing the storms in life with faith is transforming. And often Jesus appears to be asleep for a reason. The reason is that He wants us to trust. Too often we turn our eyes to the storm itself and allow fear and anxiety to dominate our lives. But every storm we encounter is an opportunity to trust Him on a new and deeper level. If life were always easy and consoling then we would have little reason to trust deeply. Therefore, every storm must be seen as an opportunity for tremendous grace as we place all our trust in Jesus, despite how things immediately appear.
Reflect, today, upon how deep and sustaining your own faith in Christ truly is. Do you trust Him no matter what? Are you able to trust Him when all seems lost, when life is difficult and when confusion tempts you? Prepare, now, for the next such storm you may face and resolve to use that opportunity as a moment in which your faith is made manifest and becomes the stabilizing force of your life.
My sleeping Lord, help me to always place all my trust in You, no matter what the circumstances are in my life at every moment. Strengthen my faith, especially during those times when I face challenges and temptations. May I never doubt that You are there with me, leading me and keeping me close to Your merciful Heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord, many times I have succumbed to temptation and fallen into sin. I know the good I should do, but many times I chose to do evil instead. Despite these failings, I turn again to you, trusting that you will heal me and restore me to your friendship.
1. Sin Blinds Us: David has just committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered along with several other men. Only when Nathan confronts him, does David realize the gravity of his sins. David’s anger was kindled against a man who stole a lamb. He could see how terrible the rich man was. Why was David so blind to his sin, which was much more serious and deadly?
2. David’s Prayer of Repentance: Psalm 51 is envisioned as David’s prayer of repentance. The psalm begins by expressing how we are marked by moral weakness and sin from the beginning of our existence. It uses three words to speak about the dark reality of sin. The first word for sin in the Psalm is chātā, which means “missing the target.” This teaches us that sin leads us far from communion with God, which is the goal of our existence. The second word in the Psalm for sin is awon, which carries the idea of “something twisted” or perverse, and indicates that sin is a deviation from the straight path. The opposite of this is conversion (shub) which is a return to the right path (51:13). The third word in the Psalm for sin is peshā, and this refers to a transgression or rebellion of some sort against God, the king, or other human beings. In this way, sin is seen as a rejection of and working against God’s plan for humanity. The Psalm asks God to have mercy on us, blot out our transgressions and iniquities, cleanse us from sin, recreate our hearts, and renew the strength of our spirit. The sacrifice acceptable to God is that of a contrite spirit and a humbled heart.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you became man and lived our life. You know what it feels like to be tempted and to suffer. You did not give in. You did not fail. You were victorious over the devil and were faithful to your Father’s love and will. Help me in the moments of my temptation to be victorious as you were.
Resolution: David’s sin started out small. He was lazy, wasn’t where he was supposed to be, and gave into the temptation of lust. Giving into the small temptation of laziness snowballed into adultery and murder. When we find ourselves committing serious sin it can be good, in an examination of conscience, to trace it back to where it began. This knowledge of ourselves and our tendencies can help us in our battle against sin and help us resist the small temptations we face every day.
Opening Prayer: Lord, as I reflect on these words of yours, help me to put my preoccupations aside and place myself in the boat with you.
1. Jesus Always Initiates: It’s striking that Jesus, who is omniscient, urged the disciples to get into the boat to “cross over to the other side,” knowing that a storm was coming. Jesus seeks us out, knocks at the door of our heart, and sometimes invites us into “bad weather” because he loves us and wants to give us every spiritual gift. By calming the storm, Jesus revealed to his disciples his power and might. As a result, they “were filled with great awe,” which is a precursor to the spiritual gift called “fear of the Lord.” Our Lord was awakening in them virtues like obedience, docility, and reverence, which are foundational for even greater gifts, according to St. Gregory the Great: “Through the fear of the Lord, we rise to piety, from piety then to knowledge, from knowledge we derive strength, from strength counsel, with counsel we move toward understanding, and with intelligence toward wisdom and thus, by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, there opens to us at the end of the ascent the entrance to the life of heaven” (“Homiliae in Hiezechihelem Prophetam,” II 7,7).
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