Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
To navigate with the Lord on board
On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.”Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Mk 4,35-41
Some day ago Paola and Nicola, two young friends of ours, had Isabella who, perhaps due to the lack of attention by someone, took a virus immediately after the birth. Her life was in danger, hence, despite being so small, she had to face a strong therapy, which could have caused the risk for her to have to bear the relevant consequences all along the life. Our friends asked us to pray and we did it, together with our sons, and now we are peaceful and serene: Isabella will recover, she will grow and she will become a nice girl.
From where we have this certainty?……it comes from the fact that her parents, welcoming the will of the Lord, are opened to the life in a wonderful way, by accepting each son that the Lord would have given to them. This is a page of life which we too have read and experienced. The passage of the calmed storm, which is dealt with today in the Mark Gospel, gives the biblical and theological explanation: God is owner and Lord of the creation and of all the events of the history, also the negative ones, which he allows to take place for some mysterious reasons but of which he never loses the control. The safety of that small boat, over which the apostles are crossing the Tiberias lake, into the storm, does not rest in the robustness of the boat and neither in the expertise of the sailors, who, scared by the panic, likely would have done several foolish things and wrong maneuverings. The safety rests in the fact that the Lord is on board who, despite the poor faith of the apostles, at a certain point wakes up and says to the sea: “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceases, there was a great calm and the boat quietly lands to the other shore of the lake. This is the safety of the church, also in difficult times as the ones we are presently living. It is not important if the storms are violent and neither if the guide of the church is more or less expert: it is important only if the Lord is on board. How many foolish things and mistakes of maneuvering we too have done during the years!…..But our small family boat has always quietly navigated, because we had always the Lord on board with us. He is the owner of the events and of the history: our boat has only to keep the route to implement the life project of which we have been entrusted. It is for this reason that Paola and Nicola can stay peaceful: Isabella will recover, she will grow and she will become a nice girl!