June 20, 2021
The Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.
He urges us on the love of Christ.
Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Don’t you have faith yet?
Readings
First reading
Reading from the Book of Job 38, 1. 8-11
The Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
“Who closed the sea with a door, when it escaped impetuously from its bosom, when I put clouds for blankets and storm clouds for diapers, when I established a limit for it by putting doors and bolts, and I said to it: ‘You will go this far and you will not pass ; here will the arrogance of your waves break ‘? ”.
Psalm
Ps. 106, 23-24. 25-26. 28-29. 30-31
R / Give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy is eternal.
They entered ships by sea, trading through the vast waters.
They beheld the works of God, his wonders in the ocean. R.
He spoke and raised a stormy wind, lifting the waves high;
they rose to the sky, they descended to the abyss, stomach churning with dizziness. R.
But they cried out to the Lord in his distress, and he pulled them out of trouble.
He calmed the storm in a gentle breeze, and the waves of the sea were hushed. R.
They rejoiced at that bonanza, and he led them to the coveted port.
Thank the Lord for his mercy, for the wonders he does with men.
Second lecture
A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to Corinthians 5, 14-17
Brothers:
We are compelled by the love of Christ, considering that if one died for all, all died.
And Christ died for all, so that those who live no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died and rose again for them.
So that from now on we do not know anyone according to the flesh; if we ever knew Christ according to the flesh, now we no longer know him that way.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed, the new has begun.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 4: 35-41
That day, at dusk, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let’s go to the other shore.”
Leaving the people, they took him away by boat, just as he was; other boats accompanied him. A strong storm arose and the waves crashed against the boat almost filling it with water. He was in the stern, asleep on his head.
They woke him up, saying:
“Master, don’t you mind if we perish?”
He stood up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea:
“Silence, be silent!”
The wind ceased and a great calm came.
He told them:
“Why are they afraid? Don’t you have faith yet?
They were filled with fear and said to each other:
“But who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him! ”.
Commentary
Today’s Word of God begins with this passage from the book of Job in which we are told that God spoke to Job from the storm to let him know that He is also the owner and lord of the sea and all that it contains. His omnipotence and lordship extends to all creation. There is nothing that escapes his power. He is the Lord of history, of everything that happens and happens, and also Lord of nature, of everything that is and exists.
From this truth, he invites Job and each one of us to trust, to live as children in the arms of their father, as small children, sometimes scared, but always sure that their father or mother will get them out of trouble and they will help them solve their problems. Certainly there are realities in life that scare us a lot, realities that dominate and overwhelm us, that we do not embrace, that surpass us, that cause us fear. Fear, in any of its forms, grips us and blocks us, paralyzes us, leads us to lose even faith and trust in God, who seems to have left us in those moments, to have abandoned us. Job, a man of faith, felt abandoned by God in his sufferings and failures. And God speaks to him; he lets her know that he is not alone.
It is striking that God spoke to Job from the storm. Is it that God can speak to us from something dark, a complicated situation, a difficult person, a problem that takes away our peace? Certainly yes; and he does. Therefore, we cannot flee from the storms of life without stopping to listen within them to the voice of God and ask ourselves: What does the Lord want to say to me with all this that is happening to me and that I do not understand or do not accept? More than finding an answer, what is truly important will be to feel his presence, because he also wants to let us know that we are not alone.
Today’s Gospel masterfully completes this message from the first reading. Jesus appears as the owner and lord of the forces of nature, something that in the Jewish faith was reserved exclusively for God. Jesus is also Lord of nature and acts with the power of God. His divinity becomes explicit with it: he rebukes the wind and the sea and everything is calm again. Earlier, the disciples, believing that He was asleep, were afraid of being swallowed up by the waves and the strong storm. To the point that they woke him up urgently and vehemently demanded that he do something.
We too, on many occasions, fear being swallowed up, destroyed, annihilated, by the sea of doubts, suffering, conflicts or injustices that surround and scourge us. We too have to recognize that sometimes we lose faith, that it seems to us that Jesus has fallen asleep, or has forgotten us. In those moments you have to “wake up” to God, you have to pray. He wants us to claim Him, so that we strengthen our faith and trust in Him, so that we experience His divine omnipotence, so that we remember that He is always close to those who invoke Him, so that we prepare to receive what He has in store for us, so that we understand, at least in part, and accept his will.
Shouting to the Lord in anguish as Job did, as do so many men and women of our time, in the midst of the storm of the pandemic, of political and social storms, does not mean not having faith in Him but quite the opposite. We know that He is always with us, although sometimes doubts or fear invade us. And He alone is the God to whom all the forces and elements of nature respond, and to whom we will all have to give an account of our life and our works.
Pope Francis says, commenting on today’s Gospel: “God’s love is stable and secure, like the rocky reefs that protect from the violence of the waves. Jesus manifests it when he calms the storm, commanding the wind and the sea. The disciples are afraid because they realize that they cannot, but he opens their hearts to the courage of faith ”.
Certainly the love of Christ urges us, urges us, urges us, repairs and prepares us, frees us from fear; Christ’s love for each one of us and our love for him. As Saint Paul tells us in the second reading, Jesus Christ has died for each and every one, that is, he has given his life so that we may have life. And nothing and nobody will be able to separate us from his love; neither hunger, nor danger, nor the sword, nor the shortages or straits of the moment, nor the scandals caused by some, nor the blackmail of others. Faced with the paralysis of fear, the disciples of Christ are called to live with the courage and courage of those who know they are always accompanied and guided by the Spirit of Christ who lives in his Church until the end of time.
Prayer
Sir, there are clouds on the horizon.
The sea is rough.
I’m afraid.
Suspicion paralyzes my blood.
Invisible hands pull me back.
I do not dare.
A flock of dark birds
is crossing the sky.
What will it be?
My God, say to my soul:
I am your Victory.
Repeat to my guts:
do not fear, I am with you.
(Father Ignacio Larrañaga)
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