The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today emphasize Divine Presence in Creation and our invitation to participate in fullness of life through our relationship with Christ.
In the reading from the Book of Job, the Lord answers Job.
* [38:1] Now the Lord enters the debate and addresses two discourses (chaps. 38–39 and 40–41) to Job, speaking of divine wisdom and power. Such things are altogether beyond the capacity of Job. Out of the storm: frequently the background of the appearances of the Lord in the Old Testament; cf. Ps 18; 50; Na 1:3; Hb 3:2–15. (Job, CHAPTER 38 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 107 is a thanksgiving for deliverance from Many Troubles.
* [Psalm 107] A hymn inviting those who have been rescued by God to give praise (Ps 107:1–3). Four archetypal divine rescues are described, each ending in thanksgiving: from the sterile desert (Ps 107:4–9), from imprisonment in gloom (Ps 107:10–16), from mortal illness (Ps 107:17–22), and from the angry sea (Ps 107:23–32). The number four connotes totality, all the possible varieties of rescue. The same saving activity of God is shown in Israel’s history (Ps 107:33–41); whenever the people were endangered God rescued them. The last verses invite people to ponder the persistent saving acts of God (Ps 107:42–43). (Psalms, PSALM 107 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians proclaims the ministry of Reconciliation and our status as a New Creation.
* [5:16–17] Consequently: the death of Christ described in 2 Cor 5:14–15 produces a whole new order (2 Cor 5:17) and a new mode of perception (2 Cor 5:16). According to the flesh: the natural mode of perception, characterized as “fleshly,” is replaced by a mode of perception proper to the Spirit. Elsewhere Paul contrasts what Christ looks like according to the old criteria (weakness, powerlessness, folly, death) and according to the new (wisdom, power, life); cf. 2 Cor 5:15, 21; 1 Cor 1:17–3:3. Similarly, he describes the paradoxical nature of Christian existence, e.g., in 2 Cor 4:10–11, 14. A new creation: rabbis used this expression to describe the effect of the entrance of a proselyte or convert into Judaism or of the remission of sins on the Day of Atonement. The new order created in Christ is the new covenant (2 Cor 3:6).
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus stills a Storm.
* [4:35–5:43] After the chapter on parables, Mark narrates four miracle stories: Mk 4:35–41; 5:1–20; and two joined together in Mk 5:21–43. See also notes on Mt 8:23–34 and 9:8–26.
* [4:39] Quiet! Be still!: as in the case of silencing a demon (Mk 1:25), Jesus rebukes the wind and subdues the turbulence of the sea by a mere word; see note on Mt 8:26.
* [4:41] Jesus is here depicted as exercising power over wind and sea. In the Christian community this event was seen as a sign of Jesus’ saving presence amid persecutions that threatened its existence. (Mark, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Vivian Amu comments that when we feel cornered by the storms in our life, may we hear God say, “be still, I am here. The storm will pass.” When we are faced with big decisions and we feel a storm brewing in our souls, may we hear God say, “Let us cross to the other side together.” Sometimes we may find ourselves saying, “Lord, do you not care that my loved one is ill? that I am ill? that I have lost more than I can bear? That the world is hurting?” Maybe our deep focus on those storms causes us to throw our hands up or maybe even hold on too tightly to everything except the outstretched hand of Jesus.
Turn your attention to Jesus who has heard your call. Let us take his hand and let him lead us through the storms that show up in our lives. Have faith, even a little is sufficient to help us stay quiet and still in the storm while the one whom the wind and sea obey calms the storm and makes way for new and beautiful things in our lives.
Lord, help me see your outstretched hand in the storm and please do not let me lose sight of you. (Amu, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Awakening the Christ asleep within you,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune - shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him... A temptation arises: it is the wind. It disturbs you: it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: 'Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him." (excerpt from Sermons 63:1-3) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 4:35-41 comments on the question the disciples ask: Who is this? He is the One whose word goes forth and accomplishes his purposes and plans in this world (Isaiah 55:11). He spoke, and all things came into being. His word has the same power in our lives, the power to bring the healing, forgiveness, and peace that he proclaims.
Who is this? This is Jesus, eternal Son of the Father, who creates and sustains all things (Colossians 1:16-17). He holds all of creation together. And he holds you and your loved ones as well.
“Jesus, I praise you, for through your word, you show me who you are—the all-powerful God!” (Meditation on Mark 4:35-41, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the conclusion of the Book of Job where God addresses the complaints and concerns of Job. As Paul proclaims in 2 Corinthians, our death with Christ brings us to the New Creation and New Life in Christ. Friar Jude reminds us of the contrast between the philosophical treatment in Luke of Jesus calming the sea compared to the conquering of fear of evil with the authority of God in the passage from Mark.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the universal need to express our grief. Perhaps the simplest and most inclusive definition of grief is “unfinished hurt.” It feels like a demon spinning around inside of us and it hurts too much, so we immediately look for someone else to blame. We have to learn to remain open to our grief, to wait in patient expectation for what it has to teach us. When we close in too tightly around our sadness or grief, when we try to fix it, control it, or understand it, we only deny ourselves its lessons.
Saint Ephrem the Syrian (303–373) considered tears to be sacramental signs of divine mercy. He instructs: “Give God weeping, and increase the tears in your eyes: through your tears and [God’s] goodness the soul which has been dead will be restored.” [1] What a different kind of human being than most of us! In the charismatic circles in which I participated during my early years of ministry, holy tears were a common experience. Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi reportedly wept all the time—for days on end!
The “weeping mode” is a different way of being in the world. It’s different than the fixing, explaining, or controlling mode. We’re finally free to feel the tragedy of things, the sadness of things. Tears cleanse our eyes both physically and spiritually so we can begin to see more clearly. Sometimes we have to cry for a very long time because we’re not seeing truthfully or well at all. Tears only come when we realize we can’t fix and we can’t change reality. The situation is absurd, it’s unjust, it’s wrong, it’s impossible. She should not have died; he should not have died. How could this happen? Only when we are led to the edges of our own resources are we finally free to move to the weeping mode. (Rohr, n.d.)
We are invited to see our world in the light of our relationship with Christ as a New Creation wherein our fullness of life is in communion with God, people and nature through all the circumstances of life.
References
Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062324.html
Job, CHAPTER 38 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/job/38?1
Mark, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/4?35
Meditation on Mark 4:35-41. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/06/23/1006175/
Psalms, PSALM 107 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/107?23
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-universal-need-to-grieve/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jun23
2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/5?14
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