TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6/21/09 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time                   Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

“Who is this whom even wind and sea obey?”A storm can be a terrifying experience. The wind shrieks in the rigging. Mammoth waves of black water crash on top of each other and burst into white foam. The boar slams into an advancing wave. As it shoulders the crest, the whole boar shudders. The bow dips into the sea and tosses the spray up into the wind, which send the cold pellets stinging into your face. In the dark, the boar threatens to roll upside down. The shore is hopelessly distant, and there is no escape.

And then Jesus stands to rebuke the wind and calm the sea as moonlight seeps through the clouds and glistens on the sea around you. In the silent aftermath of this storm, it makes us wonder what other kinds of storms Jesus could calm in our life.

Deacon Dick Folger