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12th
Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
St. Francis DeSales
Church, Abingdon, MD
June 21, 2015
Faith in the Storms
of Our Life
By (Rev. Msgr.)
Nicholas P. Amato
Folklore
Regarding the Snake
There’s a story in old folklore that shows the value of
faith in the midst of fear or terror.
It says that in late summer a rattlesnake sheds its old
skin and a new skin takes its place.
During this time of molting, the snake remains immobile and blind.
At the slightest movement near it, the snake strikes out
in it fear. If some object happens to
touch its body, the snake, out of fear, will strike the spot that is touched.
But when it does this, it releases into its own body the
deadly poison from its fangs and the result is death.
So, in its fear and terror, the snake destroys
itself.
The tale of the snake helps us to realize that fear and
terror can destroy our life, while faith can free us from the fear and terror.
Fear and
Terror in Gospel and 1st Reading
In today’s Gospel the disciples are caught in the midst
of a serious squall that comes upon them suddenly as they are crossing the Sea
of Galilee.
The wind is howling, the sea has swelled, the waves are
bursting over the gunwales of the ship. They are certain they’re going to get
swamped and sink to the bottom of the sea.
They cry out, “Teacher, Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing!” Clearly
their fear and terror are destroying them.
Jesus asleep in the stern wakes up,
rebukes the wind, and says to the sea, “Quiet!
Be still!” The wind ceases, the waves are subdued and there is great calm.
Then he asks them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
This is the same God who in the first reading
assures Job that as God he can shut the sea within doors and then fasten the
bar across the door and say to the roaring sea, “Thus
far shall you come but no farther and here shall your proud waves be stilled!”
Application
Who among us hasn’t been the object of
some form of violence, or suffered from an illness or life threatening condition?
Who hasn’t at times felt lost or
despondent? And what of those times of overwhelm or the onset of an anxiety
attack, when the storms of life were buffeting the little boat that is our
life?
Yes, where was God in any of this? We may have wondered, “Have you given up on me?” or “How can I ever regain enough tranquility to
get a good night’s sleep?”
Like the snake, who in fear and terror, ends up poisoning
itself, we too can cause similar harm to ourselves.
Jesus offers us an alternative, namely, to respond with
faith and trust that he will see us through this storm, no matter how
threatening it may feel.
True, he may appear asleep in our
turmoil, but he is nevertheless present and present as a center of unassailable
peace in the midst of this violent attack.
One thing is certain: the assault of fear
and terror raised by the storm has no power over him.
Conclusion
So while our panic, fear and doubt may momentarily
blind us from seeing that Jesus is always and already here,
Ø Steady in the stern of our boat,
Ø Giving direction to our way ahead, and
Ø Assuring our path,
Ø We can face what is before us with a sense of calm and
trust.
Yes, he will quiet the storm. Yes, it
will pass, and in the stillness, his peace will infuse the boat and quiet our
hearts.
Ø Where fear
and terror put hopelessness at the center of our focus, faith places hope.
Ø Where fear
and terror have us overreact, faith calms and helps us respond appropriately.
Ø Where fear and
terror sickens us, faith heals us.
If we listen for it in faith, we can hear
Jesus’ words in each of our storms: “’Quiet!
Be still!’” and we will see the wind cease and the great calm come over us!
