Scripture:
2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41
Reflection:
A violent storm was raging and a large ship was being tossed about on the sea. A little girl sleeping below deck was wakened by all the commotion. She asked, “What’s happening?”
She was told that there was a storm outside shaking the ship and all it’s passengers.
She asked, “Is my father still at the helm?”
They told her, “Yes.”
“Then I’m going back to sleep,” she said.
In today’s gospel, that’s the kind of trust Jesus was hoping for from his apostles. But they didn’t have it – yet. Little by little, as they continued to see Jesus in action, they came to realize who he was. Eventually they trusted him with their lives.
Throughout the centuries and especially in recent times the Catholic Church, the Bark of Peter, has been enduring turbulent times and frequent storms. Yet it stays afloat and the ministry of fishing, of saving, goes on. Like St. Paul, the Church has been “afflicted in every way, but not crushed: perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down by not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
As we encounter storms in our personal life, we need to remind ourselves that our father, Abba, is at the helm. And he will not let us be crushed, forsaken or destroyed. This realization brings us inner peace — and a good night’s sleep.
A final thought: “In the royal galley of Divine Love, there is no galley slave. All are volunteers.” — Francis de Sales
Fr. Alan Phillip, C.P. is a member of the Passionist Community at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California. http://www.alanphillipcp.com/