CATHOLIC HOMILY FOR 12TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: “QUIET! BE STILL!”
BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido
Job 38: 1 -11, 2 Cor 5: 14 -17, Mark 4: 35–41
In today’s gospel, Jesus spoke these words to calm the stormy sea and winds. In real life, we also need to hear these words from the Lord. Amidst life’s troubles, trials and challenges, we sometimes fall into the temptation of believing that God has gone to sleep and cares less about us and what we are going through. That was how Job felt in his trials. That is how many people feel today because of difficulties and seemingly unanswered prayers.
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Psalm 46 turns Jesus’ words to the wind and sea around and directs them to us, urging us to understand that no matter how turbulent the sea of our life’s experiences get, we must not lose faith or allow our confidence in God to be shaken. We must attune our ears and hearts to God and we would feel his encouraging presence and hear His reassuring words: “Be still, and know that I am God.” That Psalm is a very powerful prayer for these difficult and challenging times. For people of faith, it is the calmness that our trust in God brings that helps us overcome the turbulence of life’s sea. Even if the waters remain troubled, that calmness of faith would enable us sail through the storm to safe shores with strength renewed. Paul encourages us to live in Christ and to have Christ live in us as a new creation. That is how we keep Christ in our boat, and no matter how stormy it gets, He is got our back. One more thing: Amidst our present struggles, some have suggested that worship and prayers have become ineffective. That is false. God walks with us, and in prayer we walk with God. Praying aids our efforts in getting through each day; as a testament of our reliance on God, who made us. We do not just pray and sit down to wait for manna to fall from heaven. That is a wrong attitude to prayer. We must work hard, keep the struggle going and sustain our different human endeavors and efforts with all our given resources. In prayer, we bring God in to partner with us. Sometimes God takes over, and that is when we have extraordinary and unexpected outcomes and interventions. At other times, God gives fruitfulness and success to the work of our hands. We must keep rowing and paddling inside that stormy water even as we count on God’s loving care and intervention.
Lord, save us from sinking and drowning and may your love never depart from us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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