THE WORD
2 Sm 12,1-17.10-17 / Mk 4,35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus 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 have faith? They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
IN OTHER WORDS
In a small boat with 25 passengers, we were approaching the shore of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro on a stormy day. The boatman asked everyone to be calm and be ready to move out of the boat as quickly as possible when he gave the order. Our prayers were drowned by the noise of the rising waves that filled the boat with salt water and drenched the scared passengers. I could hear someone praying aloud beside me, “Lord spare us from drowning. I am only a deacon preparing myself for ordination. Please Lord save me!” I smiled at him and told him to get ready for the swim. He added, “Ahhhh I don’t know how to swim!” I said, “But you can oat” and soon afterwards our boat capsized. Slowly we helped each other swim to the shore until we were rescued safely to life.
In the story, Jesus was enjoying his much needed rest at the stern beside the boatman. He must have been smiling in his dream as he listened to our cries for help and prayers for deliverance. The howling wind and the roaring sea were music to his ears and rocking movements to his tired body. The good deacon beside me is now 36 years in the priesthood doing chaplaincy service in a Dormitory Apostolate. The Lord heard his prayers! He woke up and rebuked the wind and the sea. But he had two questions. “Why are you so terrified? Do you not have faith?”
These questions are closely related to each other. When one is afraid, there is a feeling of fear and anxiety. There is tension that builds up into a feeling of confusion until it breaks into a “terrifying” experience of mistrust. The lack of confidence builds up into hopelessness until it becomes an attitude of disbelief and lack of faith.
As we celebrate the National Bible Week and highlight it with the National Bible Sunday tomorrow, it is good to listen once again to the questions of Jesus, “Why are you so terrified? Do you not have faith?” What are the things that terrify me as a person? What are my personal issues that are contributory to disturbances and miscommunications in the community and society? How can I develop an attitude of trust and confidence in difficult situations? In the sea of life, the wind can build up big waves of fear and doubts that can submerge me and drown all my dreams into oblivion. I need to be aware of the presence of Jesus who is relaxing beside me. I need to develop this attitude of relaxation in Jesus and then wake him up when the wind of changes in my life becomes stormy and when the sea of experiences is rough.
- Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD | Pindangan, San Fernando, La Union
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
