“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Mark: 4:35–41

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever, at least once, thought that God seems asleep in the midst of our personal struggles or sufferings? To be honest, I have felt that. Sometimes, it seems God is sleeping amid the “storms” of our troubles or sufferings.

The Gospel of St. Mark today tells this story not only to recount the memorable event of the storm but also to reflect the experience of our Christian life. The boat bearing the disciples and the sleeping Jesus is an image of our Christian life. Our life is storm-tossed on the seas of the world with everything against our faith. We must have sometimes wondered why our Lord seemed asleep in the stern—unaware of the dangers around us. Or we may be mocked by others like Elijah, who mocked the prophets of Baal, saying, “Where is your god? Call louder, for he is a god; he may be busy doing his business or on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”And we know how the story ended, right?

The fathers of the Church explain the Gospel today that Why we are so afraid because we have allowed the Christ in us to fall asleep. In other words, we have allowed the spiritual power in us to go to sleep. And there was no longer attentiveness or spiritual alertness in us. What have we done that made the power of Christ fall asleep within us? We have forgotten about prayer, we've forgotten about the mass, we've forgotten about the sacraments. These make us so afraid of the storms and make us why my life is so chaotic. It is because we have allowed the Christ in us to fall asleep.

The Gospel invites us to wake the Christ in us so that when the “storms” arise, God will take control because Christ is always in us and with us. We need to awaken the power of Christ in us.

Augustine comments on today’s reading that

“When you are insulted, that is the wind. When you are angry, that is the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves surge, the boat is in danger, your heart is also in danger, and your heart is striking repeatedly with hard blows. On being insulted, you desire to make an attack in return, but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune— breaking up. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean, you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him.… A temptation arises: it is the wind. It disturbs you: it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: “Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”

In the midst of our struggles, we need to wake Christ up and say to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” I am sure Jesus never lets us down if we cry out for help. And I am sure that if we trust in Jesus’ driving of the boat of our life, we will always be safe because he is the best driver of our life.

“Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”

Lastly, I want to tell the story of an English writer, Mister. Byron. The story is as follows.

That day, a ship was sailing on the vast sea. Suddenly, the sky became thick with dark clouds. Then, a thunderstorm arose, with terrifying lightning and thunder. The heavier the rain, the stronger the wind. The passengers cried out in chaos. Everybody is afraid that they may die.

However, there was only one child sitting and playing on the deck, and nothing happened at all.

Surprisingly, a sailor opened his eyes wide and asked him:

- Aren't you afraid of death?

The boy calmly replied:

- Why do I have to be afraid? My father is the one who is driving this ship!

Be not afraid. Have faith in Jesus’s driving, and we will be amazed. We may claim, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

May God bless us all.