Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 20th June
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 20th June 2021
We had been hoping for a further easing of lockdown tomorrow, but now we shall have to wait a little longer. For us Christians, it’s important that the government and all faith communities be guided by medical experts and scientists and not feel pressurised by public opinion, which can often be misguided and manipulated by those who have control of the media. Patience, as I’ve often repeated, is an important virtue and one that we have exercised lovingly and generously since the pandemic began even before March 2020. In our prayers, let us pray for those countries where the pandemic is far from over and where the majority of the population has practically no access to medical help in their suffering or hope of a vaccine in the near future. When it comes to a virus as powerful as Covid-19 and its variants, we’re in this together, the world’s population, and no one is really safe until we all are.
Today’s Gospel, for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is taken from Mark, (Mk 4: 35-41). It tells of Jesus calming a storm at sea, well, on Lake Tiberius or Galilee. It’s the end of the day and Jesus is tired after preaching to the crowds. Let’s read the account as told by Mark. “With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’” It always strikes me how Mark has a special gift for recounting events from the life of Jesus succinctly and clearly, yet with an eye for detail. Mark loves recounting miracles, but what is a miracle? Simply put, it’s something that surprises, stands out and attracts the attention, something wonderful and amazing, something to marvel at. The events described lead to the heart of the matter, the question, “Who can this be?” and the comment, “Even the wind and the sea obey him.” It’s quite obvious what the disciples, filled with awe, are thinking: this must be God, God incarnate, the Son of God. What is salvation, redemption, but a re-creation? For he who at the beginning said, “Let there be light,” can now say to the wind and the sea, “Quiet now! Be calm!” and they obey him.
There’s another point too, one we are often acutely aware of in our own lives. Jesus is fast asleep in the stern of the boat, his head on a cushion. There are times in our lives, when God appears to be asleep and unaware of our suffering and pain, our anxieties and fears. He seems to be disinterested in the world he created and allows it to spin out of control. There are natural disasters and diseases, such as Covid-19, war and injustice of every sort, persecution, poverty and hunger. We may well ask, “And where is God in all this? Where is he when we need him?” Jesus himself is the answer to these questions, but he doesn’t come waving a magic wand; he is not a magician. No, Jesus enters into our pain and suffers with and for us. He takes upon himself the sin of the world and the sufferings of humanity. He is the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the altar of the Cross, yet risen from the dead. He invites us to become citizens of his Father’s kingdom, but the entry isn’t exactly free. He expects us to take up our own cross every day and follow him, but he walks with us to help and encourage us and, ultimately, to carry our burdens for us. Lord, may we enter into the mystery of your Passion as you have entered into ours. Amen.
