Reflection
Jesus Calms the Storm
In the last few weeks, we have endured some very stormy and windy weather. We can read in the scripture below about Jesus and the disciples in this kind of weather and what we can learn from it.
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.’ Mark 4:35-41
When a storm breaks over us in life, we often find ourselves in panic mode. At such times, it can be very helpful to have someone who remains calm as the storm rages. Their calmness can help to calm us. We find such a scenario in this scripture reading. The disciples and Jesus find themselves in a storm at sea. As a gale blew, waves were breaking into the boat, just as waves sometimes break over the sea wall when the wind is especially strong and the tide is high. In the midst of this storm, the disciples are clearly in panic mode. ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’, they exclaimed to Jesus. In contrast, Jesus is a centre of calm in the midst of the storm. He is so calm that he sleeps through the storm. The Gospel writer, Mark, gives us that graphic little detail of the head of Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. The disciples’ panic did not disturb Jesus, rather his calm nature calmed his disturbed disciples, and also calmed the raging storm. When the storm had passed, Jesus asks his disciples two questions, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’
In Mark’s gospel, the opposite of faith is not so much doubt as fear, the failure to trust. The Lord is always present to us as the centre of calm in the midst of the storms of life. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overcome with fear, he keeps calling on us to open ourselves to his calming presence, trusting that he is more powerful than any storm that life can hurl at us, and that he will ultimately protect us from all that threatens us.
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Holy Family of Nazareth, be our inspiration and our guide.
Jesus of Nazareth, help us to grow in Faith, Wisdom and Knowledge
