RENEWsletter for June 21, 2009 - 12th Ordinary

Dear Renewing folks--
As of June 1, according to the US Weather Service, hurricane season began. Of course, violent storms can occur any time of year in any part of the world, but hurricanes generally stay between June 1 and November 30. The term "hurricane" is reserved for storms in the northern Atlantic. The same types of storms in other parts of the world are called "typhoons" or "cyclones". God has something to say about storms in the readings for next Sunday.

This coming Sunday is the Twelfth of the Ordinary, or Numbered, Sundays. The readings can be found on the web at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/062109.shtml and in your Bible at:

Job 38.1, 8-11
Psalm 107.23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31
2 Corinthians 5.14-17
Mark 4.35-41

What God has to say about storms in the First Reading, he said to Job in the midst of a storm (Job 38.1). Job was suffering, and his "counselors" were explaining to him that God was punishing him just because he could (see the previous chapter in Job). But then God spoke and reminded Job and everyone that he is in control. And he's not fickle. Since creation the sea has bounds (v. 8). It is God who made things thus and set limits on the natural forces (v. 10). The word of God is the final word (v. 11).

The singer of the Responsorial Psalm is one who knew the power of God to save in the midst of the storm. A storm at sea can be terrifying indeed. For one thing, we're within the bounds set by God for the sea to exert her power (Ps. 107.23,24). Caught at sea in a storm, we sailors are at the mercy of those natural forces (vs. 25, 26). Yet we raise our pleas to God who hears and answers (vs. 28, 29). We are wise to give thanks to God for our rescue (vs. 30, 31).

In the Second Reading Paul explains how we should view things once we've been rescued through God's mercy: we no longer live for ourselves (2 Cor. 5.15). What does this mean? It means we don't worry about our own comfort and safety... our "flesh" as it were. We don't have to be afraid of the storm anymore. Because once we are safe in Christ, once we've been rescued from sin and death, we are a brand-new creation. The old, fearful, self-serving attitude has passed away; everything has become new (v. 17)!

Finally we turn to the Gospel Reading where Mark in his terse, no nonsense, get-right-to-the-point style tells the story of a storm on the tiny land-locked Sea of Galilee. Jesus had just finished teaching a crowd of followers in several parables. He was tired and wanted to slip away, skipping the Q and A session that might have followed. So he suggested that they boat across the sea to the other shore (Mark 4.35). That was fine with the disciples so they all piled into boats and shoved off (v. 36).

Well, maybe it was "squall season" on the Sea of Galilee, because a squall came up -- a pretty violent one that was threatening to swamp the ship (v. 37). Now some of these men were fishermen. They knew how to weather a storm in a fishing boat on a big lake, but this one was a monster storm and they were afraid they were going down. Yet where was Jesus? Asleep?! You gotta be kidding me! "Jesus! Wake up! Don't you care that we're all gonna die?" (v. 38).

Jesus got up, rebuked the storm (v. 39), and then rebuked the disciples (v. 40). He didn't understand why they would be terrified. They should have known that God loves them and will take care of them. We should know that God loves us and will take care of us. It doesn't mean we won't drown! Even God's own Son wound up dying. But as Paul says in the Second Reading, "...he died and was raised" (2 Cor. 5.15). Even death is not something to be afraid of.

When we understand that God controls the storms, we understand that he has control of everything, up to and including our own deaths... and beyond! When we realize that, we can marvel with those terrified fishermen, "Who then is this whom even the wind and sea obey!" (Mark 4.41).

Wow!

Randy Jones
"Those who fear the storm say we're all gonna die!"