12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 4:35-41
St Marks gospel tells us that Jesus crossed the Lake of Tiberias about six times. Jesus wanted to minister to the Jewish community on one side of the lake and to the Gentile community on the other. The journeys were symbolic of His reaching out to all people. The sea then, was at once, a barrier between the two sides and the crossing between the two. The boat becomes a means of overcoming the distance between peoples and a symbol of the mission of Jesus and of his Church.
Another significant factor is the storm. The early Church was experiencing very stormy waters because of the radical teaching of Jesus and the disagreements between those who went to the synagogue and those who gathered in their homes for the breaking of bread. Our lives can be no less stormy and sometimes we might lose our way. We need security and assistance and the assurance of God’s presence.
The sleep of Jesus represents for the Church the time after His death. Then, as now, he might seem to be sleeping –not present. But his sleep is also an expression of his total confidence and freedom from anxiety. He trusts entirely in the protection of the Father.
We in the Church today can experience stormy nights as individuals and as Church. What Jesus said to the sea he repeats to us today: ‘Quiet now! Be calm.’
In celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi, perhaps we could see Jesus as the sleeping presence in our midst, always ready to calm our storms and steer us through life’s journey.