THE PRESENCE OF STORMS DOES NOT MEAN THE ABSENCE OF GOD

 

Homily for the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Job 38:1.8-11, 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, Mark 4:35-41

 

In the gospel reading of this Sunday, Jesus and his disciples were out in the sea, when suddenly, a storm blew up, threatening to sink their boat. Jesus however, was asleep in the trunk of the boat. When his fearful disciples called out to him for help, he got up, ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:35-39).

The disciple’s exclamation (Master, do you not care that we are perishing?) is the first thing we have to look at in the story (4:38). The experience of the apostles is often the same with our own life experiences. Something really bad happens to us and we begin to wonder if Jesus truly cares about us. This can be in forms of loss of a loved one, ill-health, hardships, difficulties, loss of jobs, heartbreaks, injustice and so on. In such moments, we often feel that God has forsaken us. We wonder if God has fallen asleep on the wheel or conclude that he likes picking on us. These feelings are common but dangerous.

The truth is that God always cares about us and the storms going on in our lives. The Scriptures tell us that even the hairs on our heads are numbered (Matt. 10:30). We often hold this erroneous notion that the person that loves us will never allow us to suffer. That notion of love is foreign to the Bible. God’s love for us is perfect and its ultimate expression came through his own suffering on the cross. Whenever we are pushed to doubt the love, power and presence of God in our lives, we should bear in mind that the presence of storms in our lives does not mean the absence of God. The presence of Jesus means that Christ’s calming presence and voice is there to still the tempests of life that threaten to sink us. Love is found to be true when it is tested in the crucible of things like storms. That is also how faith grows and matures.

In the face of the storm, the disciples ran to Jesus for help (Mark 4:38). They were convinced that Jesus had the power to deliver them from the storm. As those who meet with storms from time to time, where do we go to in search of help? Sadly, we often look for help outside of Jesus. Many people have gone to places that they are not supposed to go while others have even denied their faith in their quest to find solutions to the storms in their lives. Dear friend, like the disciples, every storm we encounter in our life should bring us closer to Jesus. Jesus has the answer to all our troubling questions. However, we have to guard against calling out to God only in the perilous moments of our lives. This is because if we do not seek God when the situation around us is calm, then, it may be difficult for us to find him in the moments of turbulence.

Lastly, not all storms are obstacles. Some storms come to clear the coast. Unlike the disciples, we should not be fearful in the face of storms. Fear articulates two things: it displays a lack of faith in God’s care and shows that we believe that God is not in control. Trusting God sets us free from fear. Peace of mind is not the absence of storms or problems. Peace is God’s preserving presence in the midst of the storm. Jesus Christ himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus is Lord of the storm (Mark 4:41). No storm is out of his care or beyond his control. Are there storms going on in your life at the moment? Rouse Jesus with the sound of your prayer and he will restore calm. The fearful person cries out in doubt but the faithful person awakens Jesus in confidence. May our fear never grow bigger than our faith. Amen.