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Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
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12th
Sunday Ordinary – Cycle B
No. 2 Can you wake Jesus up? We all watched with disbelief the day after Christmas of 2004 as an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale set off a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Within a matter of minutes, hundreds of thousands of people were killed as a wall of water came crashing in on their homes, places of work and pristine vacation spots. Within hours, we began praying for people in cities that we had never heard of: Phuket, Bandai Ache and Bireuen. That devastation continued in that part of the world as in February of 2005, a flood hit Pakistan during its winter months, killing over 500 people and leaving countless others exposed to the cold. The storms continued in June as floodwaters swept through India, taking with them some 1,200 lives and misplacing countless others. Thus far in this part of the world, we had only been watching and praying for our brothers and sisters a half a world away. But that soon changed as in late August of 2005 a hurricane named Katrina formed in the Caribbean Sea. It struck South Florida as a category 1 storm and headed into the warm Gulf waters. It then strengthened to a category 5 storm, and on August 28, it defied the odds and came ashore, wreaking havoc in the cities of New Orleans, Biloxi and all points between. The images of people stranded on their rooftops, piled into convention centers and standing in line for water and food are still etched in our memories. In total, 1,750 people were killed, and still today there are over 7,900 people, including children missing. Just this past week, one of the dead was recovered from his home in lower New Orleans. What is going on in our world? This is the question that scientists, weather experts, politicians, theologians and even we are trying to figure out. Is it global warming? Is it a natural weather pattern that comes along every so many years? Is it God? Have these natural events and storms shaken our faith and challenged our premise of God’s omnipotent care for us?
And if these outward storms have been successful in
shaking our faith and challenging God’s love for us, then what about the
inner storms, those personal day – to – day storms that blow through our
lives and wreak havoc, uprooting, toppling and flooding our lives: the lose
of a job, a hurting marriage, a bruised relationship, a relapse with
alcohol or drugs, a parent who doesn’t seem to understand a teenagers
perspective, a church member with whom we just can’t see eye to eye?
Jesus had been to the Sea of Galilee many times in his ministry. He called the first disciples there, he taught the crowds who pressed up against there, he fed the 5000 there, he walked on water there and now this stormy sea is the catalyst of his true identity. As he and the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee, a storm blows in. The disciples are tossed about in the boat, the boat is taking on water, they are scared to death and where’s Jesus? Asleep at the stern. They wake him and say, "we’re going to die in this storm," and he says to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” Is Jesus in the boat with us? Or even more personal, is Jesus in the boat with you? And, if so, is he asleep? Can you wake Him? We must have the faith to believe that One who calmed the storm on a Middle Eastern Sea has the power, the Divinity, the care and the compassion to calm the storms of our lives. All we need is little bit of faith and the ears on our heart to hear Him say, "Quiet! Be still! I’m in the boat of life with you."
sdrose@bellsouth.net |
