Homily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Friends,
we are very happy because, here in the United States, it appears that the
coronavirus pandemic is lifting and with it the threat to our health and safety. Of course, there are many places in the world
where the pandemic is still a serious threat and we keep those who live in
those places in our prayers
and continue to ask God for a miraculous end to the pandemic throughout the
world. Nonetheless, we are happy that
here we can return to work and family gatherings and recreation in ways that we
enjoyed before this pandemic ever descended upon us.
Perhaps,
therefore, in God’s providence, this is the perfect time for these Scripture readings
to be presented to us. Our Gospel
reading, from the Gospel of Mark, in particular. It is the same Gospel passage on which Pope
Francis reflected in March of last year during his extraordinary “Urbi et Orbi”
address. Back then, we were afraid
because of the uncertainty that surrounded this emerging virus. We lamented the disruption of our lives and
feared the threat to our health. We
wondered how deadly the virus might be and began to ponder our lives and
whether we have been living as we ought.
Pope Francis addressed many of these considerations in his reflection
that day.
Now
that (here in the United States) we seem to be emerging from the threat—and rushing
back into the “normal” that we lost over the last year—it seems to be a perfect
time to revisit these Scriptures; because the message that they deliver to us
is still needed today.
Let’s
start with the Gospel reading. Here we
encounter the familiar story of Jesus and his disciples leaving one city on the
Sea of Galilee to cross to the other side to teach the next day. It was already late in the evening and so,
once again, the disciples are crossing the sea at night. As we know many of these disciples were
fishermen who knew the sea well and knew well that a violent storm could
surprise them as they crossed the sea. I
imagine that, when Jesus asked them to cross the sea that day just as night was
about to descend, many of them questioned whether it might be better to wait
until daylight. Nonetheless, the
scriptures say that they left in obedience to the Lord’s command.
The
faith in which they set out to cross the sea that night would soon be tested as
the thing that they feared became reality: a violent storm came upon the boats,
one violent enough that caused even these experienced sailors to despair of
survival. To make matters worse, while
they are all desperately trying to save the boat from capsizing, Jesus is
asleep: bothered neither by the storm nor by the incessant shouts of the
disciples trying to save the boat.
Their
desperate cry to the Lord is revealing: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Although they believed in him as a wise
teacher and powerful savior, in the face of grave danger they discovered how
small was their faith and how much faith they still put in themselves and in
their ability to control the outcome.
Jesus, by remaining asleep, demonstrates his complete trust in the
providential care of the Father.
Awaking, he first rebukes the wind and the sea to demonstrate his power,
and then he rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith.
Last
year, at the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, we were much like the
disciples who crossed the sea with Jesus that night. We had been striving to be obedient to Jesus:
crossing the sea at night at his command, even if we were concerned about its
dangers. Once the storm of the pandemic
hit us, we were seized with fear about what would happen to us and desperately
began to apply all human measures to protect ourselves. We looked to Jesus and he appeared to be “in
the stern, asleep on a cushion.” We
cried out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” and awaited Jesus’
response. Through Pope Francis, Jesus
provided a response: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
These
are Pope Francis’ words: “Faith begins when we realize we are in need of
salvation. We are not self-sufficient;
by ourselves we flounder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the
stars. Let us invite Jesus into the
boats of our lives. Let us hand over our
fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that
with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God’s strength: turning to the
good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because
with God life never dies.”
These
were words that we needed to hear in March of 2020, but they are also words
that we need to hear today. The storms
of life have not ceased, have they? Our
human efforts alone are still not enough to save us, are they? Today, as we encounter these Scriptures once
again, it is important to ask ourselves: “Has my faith grown over the past
year?” “Have I learned to trust God in the
midst of life’s difficulties and sufferings: to trust in his strength to turn
to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things?” “Have we, as his disciples, learned to
recognize how we are in the same boat, ravaged by the same storms, so as to
stand with each other, in solidarity with one another, and invite others to be
united in this solidarity of faith?”
My
guess is that the answer is both “yes” and “no”. “Yes” we have grown in faith and trust and
solidarity in some ways. “No” we have
not done all that we could and so must return to this work constantly. We should all be on guard against the desire
to return everything to the way it was before the pandemic. This is a strong temptation that we all face
because we desire to forget the pain and suffering that the pandemic has
caused. However, if we desire that God “turn
to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things”, then we must
be open to the “new normal” that God has planned for us. I propose that the “new normal” for us is a
radical openness to others.
Often
Pope Francis has preached about how we, as Christians, are called to witness to
the radical openness of God to others: that is, that God sees all men and women
as his children and so desires communion with them, offering to each one the
blessings of eternal life. We testify to
this reality when we demonstrate a radical openness to others in our lives: welcoming
those around us (especially those who may be different from us) into our lives
in Christian charity. During the height
of our pandemic precautions, we were united in our isolation. As we emerge from the pandemic, our task is
to be united in a solidarity of hospitality that welcomes all into God’s house
and to the radical reorientation of life that makes communion with God
possible. We are called to witness our
faith in God’s abiding and saving presence with us through the storms that will
continue to afflict us. On this Lord’s
day, let us reflect on how well we have begun this work and ask the Holy Spirit
to show us one way that we can make this “new normal” a reality during the next
week.
This
good work always begins with giving thanks to God for all things, good and bad,
that we experience in our lives, because we trust that nothing happens outside
of his providence. May our thanksgiving
today strengthen our faith with hope in God’s promise of eternal peace after the
storms of this life have come to an end.
Given in English and Spanish at St. Mary’s Parish: Union
City, IN
June 20th, 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment