Homily For the 12th Sunday of the Year B, June 23, 2024
Whenever you go anywhere but where Christ leads the way, you need not be afraid of storms, for they will beat upon Him more than upon you” –Spurgeon
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
Today is another Sunday of Divine encouragement and growth in faith. The focus of last Sunday’s homily was the gradual growth in faith sowed like a seed and nurtured by God. Today’s readings show us how faith is challenged, yet can grow in the moment of crises. They also show us what God expects from us. In moments of crisis, if we hold on to faith, it is a time of great discovery and growth in faith.
We Are Sailing On The stormy Sea of Life to Eternity
Like the disciples in the boat with Christ sailing to the other side away from the crowd, we are all on the journey of life to the other side (eternity). What makes the difference is if we are on this journey with Christ or without Him. The Gospel tells us that, “…they took Jesus with them in the boat just as He was.” Those who choose to go on this journey without Christ easily get drowned in the tempestuous sea of life because they have no one to call on for help when human efforts fail. Remember the disciples were once fishermen on that same sea of Galilee, but their familiarity with the sea could not help them navigate through the storm nor quench the storm. Reliance on human effort or experience often fails, that is why we need Divine intervention in most of the storms in life. Those who go on this journey with Christ must have faith that He is not just a mere sleeping passenger but a watchful captain of the boat. If they do not, the fear of earthly storms will subject them to doubt and faithlessness. Pope Francis, reflecting on this, says that the secret of navigating well is to invite Jesus on board. The rudder of life must be surrendered to Him so that He can steer the route. He alone gives life in death and hope in suffering; He alone heals our hearts with His forgiveness and frees us from fear by instilling us with confidence. We need to invite Jesus into the boat of our life. Like the disciples, we will realize that once He is on board, the storm ceases.
A Time of Crises is a Time of Trial of Faith
A time of crisis is usually a time of the trial of faith and a time of discovery of the awesome Presence and Power of God. Facing the storms in life with faith is transformative. Often Jesus appears to be asleep for a reason. The reason is that He wants us to trust. Too often we turn our eyes to the storm itself and allow fear and anxiety to dominate our lives. Keep in mind that every storm we encounter is an opportunity to trust Him on a new and deeper level. The disciples in their faithlessness amidst the storm on the Sea of Galilee came to this realization, “Who is this that even the storms obey Him?” In their wonderment, they came to believe that absolute power and authority belong to God. We all need to have this conviction of faith to avoid giving in to fear or doubts when tormented by the vicissitudes of life.
God Cares He Knows You Are
Are you frightened and afraid of perishing amidst the storm of insecurities and killings that have claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria and many parts of the world? Are you also crying out to God, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” According to a biblical commentary, this sounded not like a request from the disciples to Christ to do something but a revolt at His apparent indifference. Are you also revolting that God has been indifferent to your problems or perhaps asleep and not hearing them? For people of faith, God is always awake, but for the faithless, He is asleep. If we do not stop focusing on the storm and do not call upon God in our troubles He will appear to be asleep. The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily lives, our projects, our habits, and our priorities. When we get into trouble and we cannot help ourselves but then place our entire dependence on God, He then will reveal His power. Jesus did not just give His disciples a word of encouragement through their storm, He spoke directly to the storm and the storm had no option but to be still. “Peace! Be still!” This is the same terminology Jesus used when He rebuked and silenced demons. So the storm was a spiritual battle as much as a weather crisis. Jesus addressed the raging storm as a ‘force’ threatening Him and His disciples. The force of the sea was muzzled as Jesus subdued it with His Sovereign Word of authority. “The grateful change is effected not by prayer or incantation, but by the authoritative Word of Jesus, just as God produced order from chaos in the beginning.” (Gen 1:2)
When Jesus calms the storm in our life it is gone for good. The disciples may face another storm but the same storm that they just experienced would not return. “Cast all our anxieties onto Him, for He cares about you.” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7)
Don’t Be a Man of Little Faith
The greatest problem with the disciples, like the rest of us, was their lack of faith and it is for this that Christ rebuked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” The storm could not disturb Jesus, but the unbelief of His disciples disturbed Him. A little boat in a big storm could be a scary place, and the initial fear itself isn’t out of place. What the disciples chose to do with the fear made all the difference. Jesus could say they had no faith because they did not believe His Word. They each heard Jesus say, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” (Mark 4:35) He didn’t say, let’s see how possible it would be for us to cross to the other side. He promised a safe arrival and not hitch-free travel. The disciples could have chosen to trust in that promise, but they didn’t. In this sense, they had no faith. In our earthly journey, we are surrounded by many storms; it could be unemployment, sickness, losses, or whatever we are currently experiencing. The presence of these storms does not mean the absence of God. Remember the disciples were with Jesus when the storm threatened to sink their boat. Therefore do not feel abandoned nor alone in the battles with the storms of life. Just call on Jesus with faith and peace will return. Don’t forget, some storms come not to disrupt your way, but to clear it up for greater blessings to come.
Today, my dearest friends, God challenges every one of us to have faith. Of all people, Jesus’ disciples should have had faith. Would Jesus pose the same question to us? “After all I have done for you and your family, how is it that you have no faith?”
In the first reading, God addressed Job through the storm that threatened his life but which later God calmed. In the second reading, Paul reminds us that whoever is in Christ is a new creature because old things have passed away. To be truly a new creature in Christ, we need to forsake our old lifestyle of fear and sin and embrace faith, righteousness, and the courage of the Holy Spirit.
May your life reflect the newness of life into which God has ushered you through His gift of faith. Never allow your fears, real or imaginary to ruin your faith and aspirations in life. Today God is asking you not to succumb to fear but to have faith that He is in control of your life and destiny. Those who journey with Christ and have faith in His presence shall never be disappointed. Dear friend, He who keeps watching over you neither sleeps nor slumbers. ( cf. Psalm 121:4) Have faith !! The crises will soon be over and peace will return.
Trust In the Divine Master amid the storms of life and you will never get drowned because He is not asleep but constantly watches over You
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
