Reading: Job 38:1.8-11; Ps.107; 2Cor 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

PEACE! BE STILL! FOR THE LORD WILL NOT LET YOUR BOAT OF FAITH SINK IN THE HEAVY STORMS OF LIFE

In the scriptures, we often hear stories of how people struggled with heavy storms as they assailed through the sea. Even our fishermen and the Marine men who are into sea business can tell us better what it means to be on the sea with heavy storms, a situation where the need to look for a Saviour is highly expected. Such was the case with the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today. It is a story about the disciples’ panic and fear of perishing as a result of the heavy storm that is affecting their boat.

As this heavy storm is about breaking their boat, the disciples cannot believe that Jesus was asleep while they were afraid and needed help from anywhere. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And Jesus said: “Peace! Be still!!” And the Storm ceased and there was a great calm. And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, how is it that you have no faith? The men were astounded and said, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

Here, this story signifies God’s chosen people on a transit of faith, frightened by the guilt of sin and wounded by the waves of the sea, the abode of evil forces and monsters of this world. The boat can be taken as a symbol of the faith of the Church and the people of God struggling with the world’s principalities and powers. While the storms are symbols of heavy persecution and suffering by the people of God. These great waves and the wind facing the boat, which threatened to sink it also represent the difficulties and challenges that we are facing in this world on account of our faith, which seems as if Jesus is no more with us. The fact remains that Jesus is still with us more than we can ever imagine. And he is saying: why are you so afraid, you men of little faith?

Little wonder we heard St. Paul saying in our second reading that the love of Christ should overwhelm us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them. Thus, for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one has come.

This is well affirmed in our first reading today, where we are made to reflect on the life of Job, who in heavy storms of life, remained firm in his faith despite the efforts of the devil to sink the boat of his faith through misfortunes and sufferings in order to make him abandon the Lord. But Job remained firm, he did not blame God, though he did blame himself and wonder why the Lord had to let him suffer such great misfortune just like most of us who often worry and wonder about our daily storms and struggles.

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world which manifests itself in different forms. So every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and we are doing everything we can to overcome them. Today Jesus is inviting us into his boat of life, thereby calling us to journey on this boat with unwavering faith and a repented heart, because the world is being tossed around by the waves of evil forces, the enemies of humanity. And it is only God who can subdue it, for he has promised to restore us to himself.

Therefore, I don’t know the great storms of doubt and fear in your soul. I don’t know if you are under the power of the evil forces of this world. I don’t know how fragile the boat of your faith is or how deep the storms of life have tried to sink your faith.  All I will say is that we should let the words of Jesus sound once again in our hearts saying “Peace! Be still!” For with great faith in God, the heavy storms in our lives will become calm, for Jesus will surely rebuke the violent storms in our hearts so that we can experience once again the calmness of his peace and joy.

LET US PRAY: Lord God. As we struggle every day to overcome the ugly situation around us, do not let the boat of our faith sink in the heavy storms of life. Grant that the violent storms and waves of bondage in our lives, our families and the world, will end in a wonderful calm that brings peace in our souls. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday to you all.