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 12^th Sunday, Year B: homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: God is more powerful than our storms; He can calm them.

Reading: Job 38:1,8-11; 2Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41

Dear friends in Christ, on this twelfth Sunday in ordinary time, we are reminded that Christ is always with us, even in the midst of all the storms/troubles of this life. So, what then shall we do when storms rage around us?

The world we live in is full of storms. These storms hit our lives in different forms and from different directions. They could be problems in marriages, infertility in marriages, family crisis, problems with our children, lack of job or lack of good job, poverty, sicknesses, emotional or spiritual crises, accident, or lack of peace. They could also be inability to find or maintain a good and stable relationship, poor academic performance/results, unstable business and many others.  

Most times, these storms can hit us so hard that our human strength can no longer support us. At such moments our life becomes enveloped by fear and complaints, and our faith could be stretched to the point of questioning God, doubting His existence or His power in our life, or thinking that He has abandoned us, just as Job did in the first reading of today and cried out in frustration. But even in the middle of life’s storms, our God does not abandon us. His response to Job tells us the true nature of this God. He reminded Job that He has power over the forces of this world, that He controls and regulates all the natural, physical and spiritual forces of the world and that his sickness was not beyond His power. Job believed and was delivered at God’s own time.

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus demonstrated that our God is, indeed, more powerful than the storms that attack our life and all other forces that seek to destroy or distract us, and that He can calm them. Jesus stood up, commanded the storm and it ceased.

If we pay close attention to today’s gospel narrative, we will learn some important lessons from it. Mark narrated that Jesus wanted to cross over to the gentile territory and teach them God’s word too. On their way through the sea, the storms hit their boat so hard, obstructing them from accessing their destination and achieving their goal. The storms of this world often come to prevent us from reaching our goals; they come as challenges or difficulties any time we want to take a bold step in life.

When the storm was hitting their boat and tossing them from one end of the river to the other, the disciples did everything within their power to bring their boat to safety, but their efforts/attempts didn’t yield their desired result. Dear friends in Christ, most times we think and feel we can navigate the boats of our lives out of the storms of this world by our own strength alone, and most times many people believe that they don't need divine assistance because they have access to all scientific knowledge. But then, when the disciples discovered how futile relying upon their power and knowledge alone was, they called on Jesus, He answered them, and the storm ceased.

Dear friends, no matter how experienced you think you are in navigating your own boat, you cannot overcome your storms alone. Our God says without Him, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5), and indeed, without his help the storms of our life will conquer us. But with his help, victory is assured. So, today’s gospel reassures us that Christ is with us in our individual boats and that He is aware of the storm we are battling with. If we have Him in our boats, the storms cannot conquer us, and we cannot sink. So, rather than live in fear, seat and complain, or give up completely, let us cry out and invite His help in our difficulties, for He said in Psalm 50:15, “Call upon me in times of trouble and I will help you.” And the Psalmist also assured us that: “Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth” (Ps 121, 1-2).

Peace be with you.

Fr Isaac Chima