Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?"

 FROM THE 1ST READING:     Heb 11:1- 2

     Faith is the assurance of what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see. Because of their faith, our ancestors were approved.

GOSPEL READING:             Mk 4: 35- 41

     On that same day when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let's go across to the other side." So they left the crowd and took him away in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat so that it was soon filled with water. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.

     They woke him up and said, "Master, don't you care if we sink?" As Jesus awoke, he rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, "Quiet now! Be still!" The wind dropped and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to him, "Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?"

     But they were terrified and they said to one another, "Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

REFLECTION

     In the Gospel reading our Lord calms the storm, raging wind and waters, in the Sea of Galilee. Jesus questions the faith of his disciples, despite all they have seen him teach and do, "Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?"

     The disciples reply in great wonder, "Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

     In the first reading the writer to the Hebrews defines faith for us, "Faith is the way of holding onto what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see. Because of their faith, our ancestors were approved."

   

     The Gospel incident reflects how real life is: now quiet, now a storm with strong winds and sea, back to calm and quiet. When all is quiet and calm, do we call upon the Lord to thank him? When there are storms and problems, we do call on him: how does he respond? Does he respond as clearly as he did to calm the storm by the word of his mouth where he and his disciples were?

   

     When there are problems, do we hear the Lord questioning our faith that, with him, we will weather the storm, we will solve the problem, we will overcome?

   

     We pray, "Lord, strengthen our faith in you."