First Reading: Job 38:1, 8-11
Reflection:
The book of Job is quite startling. Job was a righteous man, faithful to God. He was quite successful by the world’s standards, being blessed with good family, friends, and material possessions. But God allowed Job to be tested by the devil to see if he would remain faithful even when those blessings were taken away. As the story goes, Job suffered dearly, having done nothing wrong to deserve it. He lost his children, his home, his possessions, his health, and even his friends. The book of Job leaves one asking, how is that fair? In fact, we might find ourselves wanting to side with Job’s wife who told him to “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). But Job remained faithful. He trusted God in the midst of the storms of life. He even responded by saying, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21). And the narrator commented, “In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:22). All that said, Job still had questions for God about why he was experiencing all these horrible things. This is evidence of his good relationship with God. He didn’t shun God in the midst of his troubles. And he didn’t give God the silent treatment. Rather, he spoke candidly with God. And how did God respond? He responded by giving evidence of His power and might, reminding Job that He is the source of all things and everything is under His control. It is within this context that this Sunday’s first reading falls. The storm and sea imagery prepares us for the gospel reading when Jesus calms the storm at sea. God is here reminding Job of His power over all creation, including the storms and seas. Metaphorically, this reassures Job (and us) that God has control over the ‘storms’ we face in life. God knows what we are going through and gives us the grace to endure with faith whatever we face.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Reflection:
Here the Apostle Paul emphasizes the profound truth of our faith that Jesus Christ died for all people. There is no person who has ever lived or ever will live who Jesus did not die for. Why did he die? He died for us so, that we may live for him. He came to bring us salvation from sin, resulting in us being made new. “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” This is good news! As baptized Christians, we have been made new. Jesus came so we could have life and life to the full. But do we accept his offer? And do we live accordingly? All of these tremendous blessings—most especially the very gift of salvation—are freely available to us. But how often do we reject them (or neglect them) by seeking what we want rather than what God wants? Paul’s message is that we must die to ourselves in order to live for Christ. We tend towards selfishness. But Christ calls us to selflessness—living not for ourselves but for God. In this, we can find purpose and true fulfillment in life. Jesus died for you. Will you live for him?
Gospel Reading: Mark 4:35-41
Reflection:
Imagine yourself in the scene. You are on a primitive boat in the middle of the sea with no land in sight. A violent storm comes out of nowhere and, of course, you are scared for your life, thinking everyone will be drowned. And while all this chaos is going on, your leader, Jesus, is sleeping! It appears to you as if he doesn’t care. Out of desperation and anxiety, you wake him, thinking that maybe he can help. And what does he do? He simply speaks to the storm and all is calm. Your fears of the storm are relieved, but you have a new fear, a holy reverence, oriented toward Jesus. You’re wondering, who is he? You know that only God has power over the weather, but you just witnessed a man command the storm by simply saying, “Quiet! Be still!” You begin to wonder if there is more than meets the eye to this Jesus. Well, we know the rest of the story. Jesus has authority over the weather because He is God in the flesh. Jesus came to calm the storms in our lives too, or at least to help us remain calm in the midst of the storms. We can remain calm by trusting in Him, knowing that He has everything under control. At times it may seem like He is sleeping through our storms and we wonder, why aren’t you doing anything, Jesus? But we can be reassured that His calm reaction is not because He doesn’t care but because He is in control of the situation.
Application:
- What storms are you facing in life right now? Have you taken these troubles to prayer? Take time this week to ask Jesus for help and peace in the midst of the storm and trust that He will answer.
