Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest
and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 322
Lectionary: 322
Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
Band Sarah herself was sterileB
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
Band Sarah herself was sterileB
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Responsorial
PsalmLUKE 1:69-70, 71-72,
73-75
R. (see 68) Blessed
be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old.
that he would save us from our sins
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old.
that he would save us from our sins
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
AlleluiaJN 3:16
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
"Let us cross to the other side."
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?"
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"
"Let us cross to the other side."
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?"
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"
Meditation: "Why are you afraid?"
How can we fight fear with faith? Jesus' sleeping
presence on the storm-tossed sea reveals the sleeping faith of his disciples.
They feared for their lives even though their Lord and Master was with them in
the boat. They were asleep to Christ while he was present to them in their hour
of need. The Lord is ever present to us. And in our time of testing he asks the
same question: Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? Do you
recognize the Lord's presence with you, especially when you meet the storms of
adversity, sorrow, and temptation? Whenever we encounter trouble, the Lord is
there with the same reassuring message: "It is I, do not be
afraid."
What are the characteristics of faith and how can we
grow in it? Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to us. Believing is
only possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and
who opens the eyes of the mind to understand and accept the truth which God has
revealed to us. Faith enables us to relate to God rightly and confidently, with
trust and reliance, by believing and adhering to his word, because he is
utterly reliable and trustworthy. If we want to live, grow, and persevere in
faith, then it must be nourished with the word of God.
Fear does not need to cripple us from taking right
action or rob us of our trust and reliance on God. Courage working with faith
enables us to embrace God's word of truth and love with confidence and to act
on it with firm hope in God's promises. The love of God strengthens us in our
faith and trust in him and enables us to act with justice and kindness towards
our neighbor even in the face of opposition or harm. Do you allow the love of
Christ to rule in your heart and mind, and to move your will to choose what is
good in accordance with his will?
"Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your redeeming
love and power that I may always recognize your abiding presence with me. And
give me courage to do your will in all circumstances."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Awakening the Christ asleep within you, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When you have to listen to abuse, that means you
are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed
by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in
danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing
yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it
another kind of misfortune - shipwreck. 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." (excerpt from Sermons 63:1-3)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, MARK 4:35-41
(Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Psalm: Luke 1)
(Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Psalm: Luke 1)
KEY VERSE: "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" (v 40).
TO KNOW: Mark's gospel shows the difficulty that Jesus' disciples had in understanding his true identity. Jesus had been teaching them by means of parables (4:1-34). Now he taught them with a parable in action. Fatigued by a long day of teaching, Jesus took his disciples in a boat across the lake to rest. While Jesus sought a moment of sleep in the stern of the boat, a storm suddenly arose and threatened to capsize the craft. The disciples cried out in terror, chastising Jesus for seeming to be unconcerned for their safety. Jesus demonstrated his power over the elements. With the same authority that God used in creation when a "mighty wind swept over the waters" (Gn 1:2), Jesus spoke a word of command and the wind and the sea became tranquil. Jesus then calmed the fear in his disciples’ hearts and they were in awe of him whom the wind and the seas obeyed.
TO LOVE: How can I speak God's peace to a troubled world?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to know you are present in all the storms of my life.
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas,
priest and doctor of the Church
Thomas Aquinas was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples. He joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244 (a religious order that practiced poverty, travelling for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to the poor). He studied in Paris from 1245-1248 under Saint Albert the Great and was ordained in 1250 and taught theology at University of Paris. Thomas obtained his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. He was recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on his Summa Theologica. On December 6, 1273 he experienced a divine revelation that so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa saying that his writings were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons. His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church as they systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. Thomas Aquinas was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567. "Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you." - Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saturday 28 January 2017
Sat 28th. St Thomas Aquinas. Hebrews
11:1-2, 8-19. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his
people—Luke 1:69-75. Mark 4:35-41.
'The mercy promised to our ancestors.'
There was something quite provocative
about last year's Jubilee of Mercy. It provided a filter through which we
observed and experienced our lives as we contemplated God's mercy working in
and through us. Reading in Luke today that God 'has shown the mercy promised to
our ancestors', I recognise that the birth of Our Lord must be the greatest act
of mercy that has ever been. Without any promise or guarantee from us regarding
our response to this great act, we were 'rescued from the hands of our
enemies', so that we might spend our lives loving Jesus in holiness. Lord, as I
try to respond to this most beautiful of mercies, never let me take your
companionship for granted.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
On Jan. 28, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates Saint Thomas
Aquinas, the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in
harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge.
Blessed John Paul II, in his 1998 letter “Fides et Ratio,” said
St. Thomas “had the great merit of giving pride of place to the harmony which
exists between faith and reason,” knowing that “both the light of reason and
the light of faith come from God … Hence there can be no contradiction between
them.”
Thomas was born during 1225 into a noble family, having relatives
among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of
Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was
sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict.
The boy's intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the
monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10.
At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking
care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students.
It is said that a hermit, before Thomas' birth, told Theodora that
she would have a son who would enter the Dominican Order “and so great will be
his learning and sanctity that in his day no one will be found to equal him.”
In his adolescence, Thomas' friendship with a holy Dominican inspired him to
join them.
His family, however, did not envision the brilliant young man as a
penniless and celibate preacher. His brothers kidnapped him from the
Dominicans, took him to the family's castle, and at one point even sent a woman
to seduce him – whom Thomas drove out by brandishing a poker from the
fireplace.
Under pressure from both the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor,
Thomas' brothers allowed him to escape from captivity. He traveled to Rome and
received the Pope's blessing upon his vocation, which would soon take him to
Paris to study with the theologian later canonized as Saint Albert the Great.
Thomas' silent demeanor caused other students to nickname him “the
Dumb Ox.” Albert, however, discovered that the young man was a brilliant
thinker, and proclaimed: “We call him the Dumb Ox, but he will give such a
bellow in learning as will be heard all over the world.”
By the time he was 23, Thomas was teaching alongside his mentor at
the university of Cologne. During 1248, he published his first commentaries on
the pre-Christian Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose insights on nature, logic,
and metaphysics would inform Thomas' approach to Catholic theology.
Around the middle of the century Thomas was ordained to the
priesthood, in which he showed great reverence for the liturgy and skill as a
homilist. In keeping with the Dominican order's charism for preaching, he
strove to bring his own family to a sincere practice of the faith, and largely
succeeded.
St. Thomas' best-known achievements, however, are his works of
theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae,
and the great Summa Theologica – which was placed on the altar along with the
Bible at the 16th century Council of Trent for easy reference during
discussions.
In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could
write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had “seen
things that make my writings look like straw.” But he complied with a request
to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches.
On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a
Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that
he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament's Song
of Songs.
The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. Nearing
death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to
him. In its presence, he declared: “I adore you, my God and my Redeemer … for
whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.”
“I hope I have never advanced any tenet as your word, which I had
not learned from you,” he told God, before making his last communion. “If
through ignorance I have done otherwise, I revoke everything of that kind, and
submit all my writings to the judgment of the holy Roman Church.”
His last words were addressed to one of the Cistercians who asked
for a word of spiritual guidance. “Be assured that he who shall always walk
faithfully in (God's) presence, always ready to give him an account of all his
actions, shall never be separated from him by consenting to sin,” he declared.
St. Thomas Aquinas died on March 7, 1274. He was canonized in
1323, and made a Doctor of the Church in 1568. In 1965, the Second Vatican
Council taught that seminarians should learn “under the guidance of St.
Thomas,” in order to “illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as
possible.”
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK
4,35-41
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 4,35-41
With the coming of evening that same day, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a great gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, 'Master, do you not care? We are lost!' And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Quiet now! Be calm!' And the wind dropped, and there followed a great calm. Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?' They were overcome with awe and said to one another, 'Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.'
With the coming of evening that same day, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a great gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, 'Master, do you not care? We are lost!' And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Quiet now! Be calm!' And the wind dropped, and there followed a great calm. Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?' They were overcome with awe and said to one another, 'Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today describes the storm in the lake and Jesus who sleeps in the boat. Sometimes our communities feel like a small boat lost in the sea of life, without much hope of arriving to the port. Jesus seems to be sleeping in our boat, since no divine power seems to appear to save us from the difficulties and the persecution. In view of this desperate situation, Mark puts together several episodes which reveal how Jesus is present in the midst of the community. In the parables the mystery of the Kingdom is revealed which is present in the things of daily life (Mk 4, 1-34). Now he begins to reveal the Mystery of the Kingdom present in the power which Jesus exercises in favour of the disciples, in favour of the people and, above all, in favour of the excluded and marginalized. Jesus overcomes, dominates the sea, a symbol of chaos (Mk 4, 35-41). ¡A creating power acts in him! Jesus conquers and drives out the devil (Mk 5, 1-20). The power of life acts in him! ¡He is the victorious Jesus! There is no reason for the communities to be fear (Mk 5, 21-43). This is the reason for this passage of the storm calmed by Jesus on which we are meditating today in the Gospel.
• Mark 4, 35-36: The starting point: “Let us cross over to the other side”. It had been a heavy day, with much work. Once the discourse on the parables was finished (Mk 4, 1-34), Jesus said: “Let us cross over to the other side!” They take him on the boat just as he was, the boat from which he had made the discourse of the Parables. Because he was extremely tired, he went to sleep on the stern, his head on the cushion! This is the first picture or image which Mark presents. A beautiful painting, but very human!
• Mark 4, 37-38: The desperate situation: “Do you not care? We are lost!” The Lake of Galilee is surrounded by mountains. Sometimes, through the cracks in the rocks, the wind blows on top of the lake and provokes sudden storms. A very strong wind, the agitated sea, the boat full of water! The disciples were experienced fishermen. If they think that they are going to sink then the situation is really dangerous. Jesus does not even wake up, he continues to sleep. This profound sleep is not only a sign of great fatigue; it is also the expression of a calm peaceful trust which he has in God. The contrast between the attitude of Jesus and that of the disciples is very great!
• Mark 4, 39-40: The reaction of Jesus: “Have you still no faith?” Jesus wakes up, not because of the waves, but because of the desperate cry of the disciples. First, he addresses himself to the sea and says: “Quiet now!” And the wind dropped and there followed great calm. Then he spoke to the disciples and said: “Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?” The impression that one has is that it is not necessary to calm down the sea, since there was no danger. It is like when you go to a house and the dog, at the side of his master, begins to bark. One should not be afraid because the dog is with the master who controls the situation. The episode of the storm which was calmed recalls Exodus, when the people, without fear, passed through the water of the sea (EX 14, 22). It recalls the Prophet Isaiah who told the people: “If you go across the water I will be with you!” (Is 43, 2) Jesus does the exodus again and carries out the prophecy announced by Psalm 107 (106), 25-30.
• Mark 4, 41: The disciples did not know: “Who can this be?” Jesus calms the sea and says: “Have you still no faith?” The disciples did not know what to respond and they ask themselves: “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him”. Jesus appears as a stranger to them! In spite of the fact of having been with him for such a long time, they do not know well who he is. Who can this be? With this question in mid, the communities follow the reading of the Gospel. Y even today, this is the same question which leads us to continue reading the Gospel. It is the desire to know always better the significance of Jesus for our life.
• Who is Jesus? Mark begins his Gospel saying: “The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk 1, 1). At the end, at the moment of his death, the soldier declared: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15, 39). At the beginning and at the end of the Gospel, Jesus is called the Son of God. Between the beginning and the end, there are many other names of Jesus which appear. The following is the list: Messiah or Christ (Mk 1, 1; 8, 29; 14, 61; 15, 32); Lord (Mk 1, 3; 5, 19; 11, 3); Beloved Son (Mk 1, 11; 9, 7); the Holy one of God (Mk 1, 24); Nazarene (Mk 1, 24; 10, 47; 14, 67; 16, 6); Son of Man (Mk 2, 10.28; 8, 31.38; 9, 9.12.31; 10, 33.45; 13, 26; 14, 21.21.41.62); Bridegroom (Mk 2, 19); Son of God (Mk 3, 11); Son of the Highest God (Mk 5, 7); Carpenter (Mc 6, 3); Son of Mary (Mk 6, 3); Prophet (Mk 6, 4.15; 8, 28); Teacher (frequent); Son of David (Mk 10, 47.48; 12, 35-37); Blessed (Mk 11, 9); Son (Mc 13, 32); Shepherd (Mk 14, 27); Son of the Blessed One (Mk 14, 61); King of the Jews (Mk 15, 2.9.18. 26); King of Israel (Mk 15, 32),
Each name, title or attribute is an attempt to express what Jesus signifies for persons. But a name, no matter how beautiful it is, never reveals the mystery of a person, much less of the person of Jesus. Besides this, some of these names given to Jesus, including the more important ones and the more traditional, are questioned, doubted by Mark the Evangelist. Thus, as we advance in the reading of the Gospel, Mark obliges us to revise our ideas and to ask ourselves, once again: “In last instance, who is Jesus for me, for us?” The more we advance in the reading of the Gospel of Mark, the more these titles and criteria fall. Jesus does not fit into anyone of these names, in no schema, in no title. He is the greatest! Little by little, the reader gives up and ceases to want to frame up Jesus in a known concept or in an idea made up beforehand, and accepts him as he is presented. Love seduces, but not the head, NO!
• The Gospel today describes the storm in the lake and Jesus who sleeps in the boat. Sometimes our communities feel like a small boat lost in the sea of life, without much hope of arriving to the port. Jesus seems to be sleeping in our boat, since no divine power seems to appear to save us from the difficulties and the persecution. In view of this desperate situation, Mark puts together several episodes which reveal how Jesus is present in the midst of the community. In the parables the mystery of the Kingdom is revealed which is present in the things of daily life (Mk 4, 1-34). Now he begins to reveal the Mystery of the Kingdom present in the power which Jesus exercises in favour of the disciples, in favour of the people and, above all, in favour of the excluded and marginalized. Jesus overcomes, dominates the sea, a symbol of chaos (Mk 4, 35-41). ¡A creating power acts in him! Jesus conquers and drives out the devil (Mk 5, 1-20). The power of life acts in him! ¡He is the victorious Jesus! There is no reason for the communities to be fear (Mk 5, 21-43). This is the reason for this passage of the storm calmed by Jesus on which we are meditating today in the Gospel.
• Mark 4, 35-36: The starting point: “Let us cross over to the other side”. It had been a heavy day, with much work. Once the discourse on the parables was finished (Mk 4, 1-34), Jesus said: “Let us cross over to the other side!” They take him on the boat just as he was, the boat from which he had made the discourse of the Parables. Because he was extremely tired, he went to sleep on the stern, his head on the cushion! This is the first picture or image which Mark presents. A beautiful painting, but very human!
• Mark 4, 37-38: The desperate situation: “Do you not care? We are lost!” The Lake of Galilee is surrounded by mountains. Sometimes, through the cracks in the rocks, the wind blows on top of the lake and provokes sudden storms. A very strong wind, the agitated sea, the boat full of water! The disciples were experienced fishermen. If they think that they are going to sink then the situation is really dangerous. Jesus does not even wake up, he continues to sleep. This profound sleep is not only a sign of great fatigue; it is also the expression of a calm peaceful trust which he has in God. The contrast between the attitude of Jesus and that of the disciples is very great!
• Mark 4, 39-40: The reaction of Jesus: “Have you still no faith?” Jesus wakes up, not because of the waves, but because of the desperate cry of the disciples. First, he addresses himself to the sea and says: “Quiet now!” And the wind dropped and there followed great calm. Then he spoke to the disciples and said: “Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?” The impression that one has is that it is not necessary to calm down the sea, since there was no danger. It is like when you go to a house and the dog, at the side of his master, begins to bark. One should not be afraid because the dog is with the master who controls the situation. The episode of the storm which was calmed recalls Exodus, when the people, without fear, passed through the water of the sea (EX 14, 22). It recalls the Prophet Isaiah who told the people: “If you go across the water I will be with you!” (Is 43, 2) Jesus does the exodus again and carries out the prophecy announced by Psalm 107 (106), 25-30.
• Mark 4, 41: The disciples did not know: “Who can this be?” Jesus calms the sea and says: “Have you still no faith?” The disciples did not know what to respond and they ask themselves: “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him”. Jesus appears as a stranger to them! In spite of the fact of having been with him for such a long time, they do not know well who he is. Who can this be? With this question in mid, the communities follow the reading of the Gospel. Y even today, this is the same question which leads us to continue reading the Gospel. It is the desire to know always better the significance of Jesus for our life.
• Who is Jesus? Mark begins his Gospel saying: “The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk 1, 1). At the end, at the moment of his death, the soldier declared: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15, 39). At the beginning and at the end of the Gospel, Jesus is called the Son of God. Between the beginning and the end, there are many other names of Jesus which appear. The following is the list: Messiah or Christ (Mk 1, 1; 8, 29; 14, 61; 15, 32); Lord (Mk 1, 3; 5, 19; 11, 3); Beloved Son (Mk 1, 11; 9, 7); the Holy one of God (Mk 1, 24); Nazarene (Mk 1, 24; 10, 47; 14, 67; 16, 6); Son of Man (Mk 2, 10.28; 8, 31.38; 9, 9.12.31; 10, 33.45; 13, 26; 14, 21.21.41.62); Bridegroom (Mk 2, 19); Son of God (Mk 3, 11); Son of the Highest God (Mk 5, 7); Carpenter (Mc 6, 3); Son of Mary (Mk 6, 3); Prophet (Mk 6, 4.15; 8, 28); Teacher (frequent); Son of David (Mk 10, 47.48; 12, 35-37); Blessed (Mk 11, 9); Son (Mc 13, 32); Shepherd (Mk 14, 27); Son of the Blessed One (Mk 14, 61); King of the Jews (Mk 15, 2.9.18. 26); King of Israel (Mk 15, 32),
Each name, title or attribute is an attempt to express what Jesus signifies for persons. But a name, no matter how beautiful it is, never reveals the mystery of a person, much less of the person of Jesus. Besides this, some of these names given to Jesus, including the more important ones and the more traditional, are questioned, doubted by Mark the Evangelist. Thus, as we advance in the reading of the Gospel, Mark obliges us to revise our ideas and to ask ourselves, once again: “In last instance, who is Jesus for me, for us?” The more we advance in the reading of the Gospel of Mark, the more these titles and criteria fall. Jesus does not fit into anyone of these names, in no schema, in no title. He is the greatest! Little by little, the reader gives up and ceases to want to frame up Jesus in a known concept or in an idea made up beforehand, and accepts him as he is presented. Love seduces, but not the head, NO!
4) Personal questions
• The waters of the sea of life, have they threatened you sometimes? Who saved you?
• Which was the agitated sea at the time of Jesus? Which was the agitated sea at the time when Mark wrote his Gospel? Which is, today, the agitated sea for us?
• The waters of the sea of life, have they threatened you sometimes? Who saved you?
• Which was the agitated sea at the time of Jesus? Which was the agitated sea at the time when Mark wrote his Gospel? Which is, today, the agitated sea for us?
5) Concluding prayer
God, create in me a clean heart,
renew within me a resolute spirit,
do not thrust me away from your presence,
do not take away from me your spirit of holiness. (Ps 51,10-11)
God, create in me a clean heart,
renew within me a resolute spirit,
do not thrust me away from your presence,
do not take away from me your spirit of holiness. (Ps 51,10-11)
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