LECTIONARY READINGS
First reading: Job 38:1, 8-11
Responsorial psalm: Ps 106(107):23-26, 28-31
Second reading: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
Link to readings
Today’s readings provide an opportunity to focus on our trust in God with great courage and hope. Three of the texts demonstrate the Lord’s power over the sea, and his care for us. In the First Reading, the Lord responds to Job’s complaints that he has been punished unjustly. God speaks of his divine power over his own creation.
God’s control over nature is also echoed in the Gospel, as Jesus calms the storm. The disciples panic as the gale takes hold, awakening Jesus, who chides them for their lack of faith. They are filled with awe as Jesus stills the waves, asking: ‘Who can this be?’
The Psalmist tells of the sailors’ fear as their frail boats are buffeted by the winds and waves, but they give thanks to the Lord for his loving care as he leads them to a safe haven. St Paul expresses his gratitude for the overwhelming love of Christ, through whose life, death and resurrection we are offered a new creation. (Second Reading)
This week we might pray for an increasing awareness of the Lord’s constant presence in our lives. We can express our gratitude for his love in the words of the psalm refrain: O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.
PSALM 106 (107)
R./ O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever
Some sailed to the sea in ships
to trade on the mighty waters.
They have seen the Lord’s deeds,
the wonders he does in the deep.
For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
tossing the waves of the sea
up to heaven and back into the deep;
their soul melted away in their distress.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper:
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced because of the calm
and he led them to the haven they desired.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
the wonders he does for them.
REFLECTION
I come, with open heart and hands, to the place where I want to pray: perhaps a special place in my home or garden; perhaps walking, taking in the wonder of God’s creation. I let my mind gently slow down, allowing God’s loving gaze to rest upon me, to welcome me.
When I am ready, I slowly read this psalm of thanksgiving, pausing after each verse. What am I noticing? Where am I being drawn? Is there a word or phrase that particularly catches my attention? Might the words gale . . . mighty waters . . . storm . . . tossing the waves . . . distress signify anything for me? I open my heart to the Lord. Or how about rescued . . . hushed . . . calm . . . rejoiced . . . led . . . haven . . . love . . . the wonders he does? I ponder, and speak to the Lord of this.
Perhaps I stay with the line ‘he led them to the haven they desired’. What am I desiring just now? What does that haven look like for me? Where is my place of calm? I can share this with the Lord too. When ready, I give thanks and slowly close my prayer, perhaps using the psalm refrain, or a simple Glory be . . .
GOSPEL
Mark 4: 35–41
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.’
REFLECTION
How am I feeling as I slowly enter into prayer? Is there anything causing me to feel unsettled? I try to let go of any concerns, fears and reluctances, letting myself be guided by God’s spirit. I read the Gospel slowly and carefully, staying with anything that draws me. Perhaps in my mind’s eye I picture the scene. What am I noticing about the disciples, about Jesus, about myself? What thoughts and emotions are stirring?
Jesus asks the disciples why they are frightened and questions their faith. Maybe I now imagine myself in the boat with Jesus. It is calm once the storm has settled. How do I feel? What do I say to Jesus? What does he say to me? What does he ask of me?
Perhaps I ponder the same question that the awe-struck disciples themselves asked: ‘Who can this be?’ Who is Jesus for me? How do I react to events and emotions in my own life that scare me? Do I turn to Jesus for help, or do I try figure it out on my own? I speak to the Lord about this, as to a loving friend.
Jesus understands our fears and doubts in times of struggle when our focus may be drawn away from him. I ask Jesus to help me always hear him say: ‘Be calm! . . . I am here with you’. Resting in the Lord’s constant love for me, I end my prayer slowly. Our Father . . .
Courtesy of St Beuno's Outreach in the Diocese of Wrexham, UK