From the responsorial psalm: “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. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
In the first reading, Saint Paul mentions the word faith—what he defines as “the realization of what is hoped for”—six times as he recounts the faith of Abraham, who followed God and received the fullness of God’s promises. Using the word just once, Jesus questions the disciples after he calms the storm. And with a single word, the same one with which Jesus silences demons, he calms the storm by saying “Quiet!” While the disciples stood in awe of Jesus’ mastery over the elements, we know what they didn’t know about him yet: he is the risen Christ, the Son of God, who destroys death and restores life. The disciples ask him beforehand, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus answers as he always does when we question his sovereignty over every moment in our lives: “Do you not yet have faith?”
God, throughout the day, help me remember three words Jesus spoke to the disciples: “Quiet! Be still!” In order to hear that voice, I have to remain in the boat with him in the midst of storms. Give me the grace to remain there and not cast myself into sea swells. I’m sure that sometime in the future for a yet-unknown reason, my prayer will be “Don’t you care, God?” In that moment, Lord, don’t let me lose sight of you seated in the stern. Remove all fear, and strengthen my faith. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.