Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 95
Reading I
Job 38:1, 8-11
The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who shut within doors the sea,
when it burst forth from the womb;
when I made the clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
When I set limits for it
and fastened the bar of its door,
and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stilled!
Responsorial Psalm
107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They who sailed the sea in ships,
trading on the deep waters,
These saw the works of the LORD
and his wonders in the abyss.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His command raised up a storm wind
which tossed its waves on high.
They mounted up to heaven; they sank to the depths;
their hearts melted away in their plight.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them,
He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,
and the billows of the sea were stilled.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They rejoiced that they were calmed,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading II
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
Alleluia
Luke 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has risen in our midst
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 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?”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
God is Speaking
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. Mark 4:38–39
Do you desire to hear God speak to you? The most common way this happens is through prayerful meditation on the Gospels. Over the centuries, the saints have prayerfully pondered the Gospels and have offered various insights on the stories and our Lord’s actions. Their insights are not primarily an intellectual exercise. Rather, they are first an exercise of prayer and meditation, revealing that the Scriptures have various layers of depth and meaning.
One Church Father, Saint Bede, explains from his prayerful pondering of today’s Gospel passage that the boat in which Jesus crossed the sea represents the Cross by which safe passage is obtained to arrive at the shores of Heaven. The other boats that followed represent those who have faith in the Cross of Christ and follow. Though they suffer the waves of temptation and hardship, they press on, relying upon the saving power of the Cross. Jesus being asleep represents His sleep of death, and His wakening represents His resurrection. The pleas of the disciples represent our need to turn to Jesus during the storms and temptations of life. The rebuke of the waves and the ensuing calm reveal the grace won by His death and resurrection, which is able to silence the demons and disordered passions. The fear that the disciples encountered points to our own fear that results from a lack of faith and trust in God.
God is able to speak these and many other truths to us through His actions and words contained in the Scriptures. There is no limit to the depth and meaning we can receive through His holy Word. Therefore, though it is useful to reflect upon the saints’ various interpretations of the Gospels, it is also very important to reflect upon these passages ourselves, so as to allow our Lord to speak to us the message we need to hear.
Reflect, today, upon this Gospel scene. Try to find time to slowly read today’s Gospel from beginning to end. Read a sentence and then close your eyes and try to imagine it. See Jesus entering the boat. Ponder the boat being an image of the Cross. See the sea as the many evils within this world. Consider the fear the disciples encountered during the storm. See yourself in that boat, waking our Lord. Listen to Him silence the waves and restore peace. Hear Him say to you about your own struggles in life: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” As you prayerfully meditate upon this and other Gospel passages, know that God will speak to you and reveal to you the meaning that He wishes to communicate to you today.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
A STORMY RELATIONSHIP
“The Lord addressed Job out of the storm.” —Job 38:1
You’re in a veritable hurricane of difficulty, and all you can see of Jesus is that He’s asleep. You want to scream, “Jesus, don’t You care?” (see Mk 4:38) However, Jesus “cares for you” (1 Pt 5:7). “Indeed He neither slumbers nor sleeps, [your] Guardian” (Ps 121:4). Since Jesus never sleeps on the job of guarding you, His sleeping in the boat of the Church and of your life must carry another meaning. Possibly, Jesus’ act of sleeping in the boat is yet another case of Him giving us an example (see Jn 13:15).
The disciples, accustomed to the storms of the sea, finally experienced a storm they couldn’t handle. Jesus was in the same storm and the same boat, but was asleep. He had perfect peace in the raging storm. What an Example! (1 Pt 2:21) Facing death, Jesus yawns, arises, and stops the chaos (Mk 4:39).
Jesus has shared His Eucharistic Body (Lk 22:19) and divine nature with us (2 Pt 1:4). He wants to give us His own peace (Jn 20:19). He expects us to follow His example and trust Him in the worst times. This is evident, because instead of comforting His panicked disciples, He challenges them, exclaiming: “Why are you so terrified? Why are you lacking in faith?” (Mk 4:40)
Jesus states that we, His disciples, will undergo storms and trials (Mt 7:25). “It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard” (1 Pt 4:12). When Jesus the Good Shepherd judges it to be the proper time, He will lead you from the stormy waters to the still waters (Ps 23:2; Ps 107:30). Trust Him and do not fear (Mk 5:36). Jesus is Lord over all storms.
Prayer: Jesus, You are my Refuge. I will not be afraid (Ps 27:1).
Promise: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” —2 Cor 5:17
Praise: Praise Jesus, Whom the winds and waves obey.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
The storms in the Gospel resonate the storms we face in our life. Some storms seem to arise from nowhere and take us by surprise. Other storms build and brew as we watch. Whatever it be, these are painful and pressing experiences of life. Many a time, God allows trials, difficulties and storms to come into our lives because these serve as tests and opportunities to prove our trust in God. The storms can make us trust God or see Him as less than He is which makes us react: ‘Don’t you care about us?’ It reveals to us whether we live by fear or by faith. Jesus’ words – ‘Why are you so afraid?’ – are more about us than the circumstances of our lives. Storms may continue to happen but with faith we can face them. Faith does not change the storm but it changes us. It allows us to see and know that God, the master of the storm, is there with us, and He is in full control of the storms and of our life.
Prayers
My sleeping Lord, as I endure the many storms of life, may I always have faith in the saving power of Your Cross and Resurrection. May I always call upon You to calm the storms and hear You speak to me the many truths I need to hear. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your redeeming love and power that I may always recognize your abiding presence with me. And give me courage to do your will in all circumstances.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 174: The Timing of God is Perfect
When we desire to accomplish the Will of God in this world and do wonderful things for Him, we can sometimes seek to do things our way according to our timing. But to truly accomplish the Will of God you must pray hard, surrender yourself to His holy Will, and then even surrender the fulfillment of His Will. It’s not a matter of just doing what you think best, when you think best; rather, it’s a matter of accomplishing His holy Will as He directs it, when He directs it. Nothing more and nothing less. This is an act of trust and it will be rewarded with God accomplishing great things in accord with the perfect plan He has set forth, in accord with His timing (See Diary #916).
Do you want to do great things for God? If so, tell Him so and make an act of total surrender to His Will. And then wait, and wait and wait. Keep trusting and keep surrendering and trust that He will inspire you to action when the time is right. Reflect upon your patience with the Will of God today. God will always wait for the perfect moment to inspire you to act. If you can patiently wait on Him, you will see an abundance of Mercy flow from Heaven.
Lord, in surrendering myself to You and entrusting myself to You as an instrument for Your glory, I pray that I may act only when and how You direct me to act. Help me to always know that You are perfect in Your wisdom and orchestrate all things in a harmoniously beautiful way. I trust in Your Will and choose it over my own will, today and always. Jesus, I trust in you.
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