In our gospel, the boat containing Jesus and His disciples were buffeted by strong winds and waves in near darkness.

But Jesus sleeps peacefully amidst this turbulence.

His disciples were afraid. They wake Him up and immediately.

In the Jewish tradition, if wind, darkness and water comes together it will generate chaos.

And chaos is the abode of the devil.

In our gospel, the boat containing Jesus and His disciples were buffeted by strong winds and waves in near darkness.

 

 

Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Angela Merici, virgin

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17

So Yahweh sent

The prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to the king and said to him, "There were two men in a city: one was rich; the other, poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb he had bought. He himself fed it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and slept on his lap.

 

It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but he would not take from his own flock or herd to prepare food for the traveler. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared that for his visitor." David was furious because of this man and told Nathan, "As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves death! He must return the lamb fourfold for acting like this and showing no compassion." Nathan said to David, "You are this man!

Now the sword will never be far from your family because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself. Thus says Yahweh: Your misfortune will rise from your own house! I will take your wives from you and give them to your neighbor who shall lie with them in broad daylight. What you did was done secretly, but what I do will be done before Israel in broad daylight."

 

David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against Yahweh." Nathan answered him, "Yahweh has forgiven your sin; you shall not die. However, because you have dared to despise Yahweh by doing such a thing, the child that is born to you shall die." Then Nathan went to his home. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill. David entreated God for the child. He kept a strict fast and lay on the ground the whole night. The elders of his house asked him to rise from the ground but he refused. Nor did he join them to eat.

 

Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 Create a clean heart in me, O God.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊    

Mark 4:35-41

On that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let's go across to the other side of the lake." So they left the crowd, and took him along in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

 

They woke him up, and said, "Master, don't you care if we drown?" And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea, "Quiet now! Be still!" The wind dropped, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, "Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?"

But they were terrified, and they said to one another, "Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Jesus always cares."

Today's Gospel narrates the storm on the sea. After the storm, Jesus appeared to expose the weak faith of his disciples. We may reflect on the words of the disciples when they were trying to wake Jesus up: "Master, don't you care if we drown?" Those with him in the boat could have simply pleaded for Jesus' saving help: "Lord, please save us!"

 

They doubted not only Jesus' capacity to save them from that particular danger but also Jesus' concern for their wellbeing. At times, we come to a point when we feel that there is nobody around to care for us when we are at the rock- bottom. We doubt people's goodness because the storm within us is raging violently. We have to listen and heed Jesus' words: "Quiet now! Be still!"

 

We need to allow God's word to calm the storm we experience from within otherwise we will drown in cynicism and perish in isolation. There are and will always be people who truly care and they may come to us In different ways. Nathan, in the first reading, was sent by God to rebuke David. The rebuking of David also shows how God truly cares.