Faith put to the test!
The event takes place on the Sea of Galilee. It is fed by the Jordan River and its dimensions are 20 km long and 11 km wide. This lake is known for its strong storms, as it is swept by the winds of the Syrian desert and also those of the Mediterranean Sea.
Jesus invites his apostles to cross to the other shore. He therefore invites them to leave a religious corner of the country where they felt safe with their loved ones to go to the pagans, people who are different and whose habits of life are worrying for them.
Jesus thus shows the apostles that his message is universal. Then the apostles, most of whom were experienced fishermen, set out on the lake with Jesus. They use a boat belonging to someone in the group. The capacity of the boat carrying the apostles and Jesus is at its maximum. The winds rise and the water begins to fill the boat. Fear begins to inhabit the apostles, we easily understand them. They are afraid of sinking, of drowning. Anxiety grips them and some doubt the next few minutes. The master sleeps…
What man can control the sun, the cycle of days and nights, winds and storms?
For the believer, it is only God, the creator. Only he has this skill. In addition, let us remember that at the time, the sea was symbolized by a dragon that emerged from the abyss. He was the personification of evil and the devil. The one that brought peril and death.
Jesus threatens the wind and addresses the sea, as if it were a person. Silence, be silent.
After this miracle, the apostles asked themselves the question. Who is he?
In the psalms it is written: It is you (Yahweh) who master the pride of the sea, when its waves rise, it is you who appease them. It is also written: Yahweh brought the squall back to silence and the waves fell silent.
The apostles know these psalms very well, but they still ask themselves the question, who is he?
Even in the face of evidence that Jesus is linked to God, the apostles do not see the close relationship of God. Even in the face of the miracle of God in Jesus Christ, do not men often doubt God’s action?
This invitation of Jesus to cross to the other shore also applies to you and to me, but on which shore?
Is it the shore of our human limits?
Is it the shore of our inability to witness to God to others?
Is it the shore of a lack of faith? A timid faith that is not inhabited by the Word of God, a faith that is little or badly nourished by the power of the sacraments? These vitamins that energize our faith in God and our merciful gaze towards our brothers and sisters on a daily basis.
On the boat of our lives, in times of doubt, difficulty, suffering, failure or bereavement, are we ready to awaken Christ and say to him: Master, we are lost; it doesn’t matter to you? We are happy to ask him this question. Mark emphasizes here the temptation to interpret Jesus’ silence as a sign of indifference. But he, Jesus, seems to be saying: to be afraid is to lack faith: “How is it that you do not have faith?”
And he, very calmly, as you have heard in this passage of the Gospel of Mark, masters the elements; He wasn’t afraid for a second, because he has faith. He knows that his Father gives him the ability to command the sea and the wind. If I understand correctly, it is our very feeling of powerlessness that is a lack of faith!
Obviously, it is not a question of taking our dreams for realities and believing that we are now all-powerful; reality would dissuade us from doing so very quickly. But it is a question of having faith, that is, of believing that in Him, from now on, we can do everything! Including mastering the sea and, most importantly, the forces of evil.
All of you, each and every one of you, probably have multiple reasons to worry. Remember this Gospel lesson: “Why be afraid?” And echoing the famous phrase of Saint John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate: “Do not be afraid!”
On the roads of our lives, let us draw near to Christ. He is still present in the boat despite an apparent sleep.
Brothers and sisters, with confidence, let us enter into thanksgiving. During the “rescues” that put me back on my feet, the loves, the joys, the wonders and the happy moments of our lives, are we ready to awaken Christ and say to him: thank you, Lord?
Be blessed, be praised!
Amen.
Father Jean-Yves