From the Pastor's Desk

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The role of God in calming the storms of life both in the history of the Church and in the lives of Christians is the central theme of the readings for this Storm Sunday.

In the first reading, God addresses Job for the first time, questioning his right to challenge God's authority and leading Job deeper and deeper into the mystery of creation. We hear how the Lord speaks to Job whose life was devastated by storms of illness, the deaths of his dear ones and the total loss of his possessions. “Out of the storm,” God reminds Job that He is in control.

Today’s Responsorial Psalm picks up the storm theme and tells us how the Lord saves the sailors caught up in the high waves of a tempest by “hushing the storm to a gentle breeze.” "They who sailed the sea in ships ... saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the abyss." Paul who "rode the storm" of rejection, from his former friends also experienced storms of violent hostility from the Jews who refused to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

So, he explains in the second reading that Jesus died for us to make us a “new creation.” In order to receive this gift, we must respond to his love by living for him in all situations of our lives.

In today’s Gospel, Mark assures the first century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them. He describes how, by a single commanding word, Jesus stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, returned the sea to its natural order and saved his followers from drowning. The incident reminds us to keep Jesus in our life’s boat and to seek his help in the storms of life.