12th
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year B
Los Angeles, June 21st, 2015
1st
Reading: from
the Book of Job 38,1.8-11
Psalm
: Ps
106 (107)23-24.25-26.28-29.30-31
2º Reading:2nd
letter from St Paul to the Corinthians 5:14-17
Gospel: Saint Mark 4,35-41
This Sunday’s readings are about the sea, the storm, and the boat.
The Church is often represented as a boat and several churches have been
built in the shape of an upside-down boat. The storm is the image of
difficulties and dark moments which the Church has experienced throughout all
of history. For our reflection this week we look at two ideas taken from the
Gospel for this Sunday:
“Let us go over to the other side”.
“Do you still have no faith?”
“Let us go over to the other
side”.
We are in this boat which we call the Church and we are also in this
boat that we call the world. Jesus invites the Church and the world to go over
to the other side.
One of the temptations that often is present in our lives and in the
lives of our communities is inactivity. We love to have our points of view and
often get comfortable with our habits without realizing that we all need to go
over to the other side.
Going over to the other side means accepting a change in one’s habits.
Deciding to look for new ways to improve our relationship with God, with
ourselves, and with others.
On the other side, God is awaiting us, and in order to meet him we
must accept facing difficulties, the storms that come on our way over.
We are all on this boat which is the Church and this boat needs to go
forward to get to the other side. We are all responsible for the movement and
speed of changes in the Church and in the world. Each person has a
responsibility in the boat where we are.
We should not get comfortable in our complacency, in our principles and
in our convictions. Let us agree to let ourselves be rocked by the Word of God
so that we can go over to the other side. Let us press on to meet God on this
boat which should open its doors so that all men and women of goodwill take
their place there.
And to go over to the other side, we need to hear the question that
Jesus asks his disciples:
“Do you still have no faith?”
Faith is synonymous with trust. Every time we doubt or let ourselves be
troubled or get worried because of pessimism, we should wonder if faith is
still present in our lives.
Jesus is the captain of the boat which is called the Church and of the
boat which is called the world. If we believe that the Church and the world are
steered by Jesus, we can live in peace, in trust, and in faith. Nothing can
harm us on the way which is taking us over to the other side because Christ
is with us.
Having faith is believing that Jesus steers history and that with Him we
are safe.
Let us go over to the other side and let us not be afraid of anyone or
anything because Christ is with us, and he is the one who is really going to
steer the boat in which we are traveling.
Amen.
Fr.
Germán