2015/06/21 — 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The most obvious commonality between this Sunday's first reading — Job 38:1, 8-11 — and gospel — Mark 4:35-41 — is the theme of the sea, and more specifically the calming of the sea. God is the one who created the sea and controls it, as he reminds Job. Jesus, by a word, calms the storm which has put his disciples in fear of their lives.


Job has suffered the loss of everything, and although his friends insist that it must be a punishment for some sin, he insists on his innocence. He goes on to demand that God tell him why he is suffering, since he does not deserve to be punished. God does not answer directly. He "puts Job in his place" by reminding him that he is not God and is not entitled to question God about his actions. Ultimately, all our answers to the problem of evil are incomplete, and we are incapable of understanding the entirety of the universe, which might make it clear. But we at least have what the author of the Book of Job didn't have: the promise of eternal life with God which, as Paul says, far outweighs any sufferings of this world.


Jesus has power over the storm on the Sea of Galilee. But the lesson for us isn't that we can expect Jesus to make every aspect of our lives tranquil. It is that we should not be afraid. We should not let the troubles of life overwhelm our faith. There will be storms, real and figurative. There will be times of tranquillity. Through it all we have faith in the promise of God's Kingdom, moving to fulfillment.

The Church is sometimes called "The Bark [ship] of Peter." Just as the gospel tells us of a literal ship tossed by a storm, so, metaphorically, we think of the ship that is the Church being tossed by all sorts of troubles, but we have faith that Jesus is with us and the ship will not sink. "The gates of Hell will not prevail against it."


The second reading — 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 — reminds us that Jesus died and rose for us all. Therefore we are renewed in him. This ties in with the other readings in reminding us why we shouldn't let present troubles shake our faith. Beyond that, it calls us to a changed view of reality. When we look at the universe, when we look at this world, we should see it as God's creation. When we consider other people, we should regard them as God's creation, being renewed in Christ. All have a dignity which we must respect. All deserve our love.


I could link "Anchored in Love" as I did for the Feast of the Sacred Heart. It would certainly be appropriate, especially for the gospel. But given the theme of God's command of the world and the renewal in Jesus, I think "How Can I Keep from Singing" is even more appropriate.