Fr Bernard writes…
12th Sunday of the Year 20th June 2021
The unpredictability of the weather can at times be merely an inconvenience and at other times destructive and dangerous. In today’s gospel passage a storm arises in the lake of Galilee, a familiar occurrence given the fact that it is well below sea level. Despite being used to the sea the disciples are terrified, believing that they would be shipwrecked and possibly drowned. Jesus, oblivious to the elements is asleep, but when wakened by the disciples, rebukes the wind and the sea and restores calm. He then questions the disciples both about their fear and their faith, or lack of it, to which they respond by asking who Jesus really is, having witnessed his power over the storm. They would have known from the Hebrew Scriptures that the ability to have power over natural elements was a sign of divine power, as the psalm chosen for today states, ‘He (the Lord) stilled the storm to a whisper, all the waves of the sea were hushed.’ They would also have known that the storm was a metaphor for the powers of evil which only God could subdue. In other words they are beginning to form an answer to their own question, ‘who can this be?’, but they still have some way to go!
Please note that this week The church will be open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9.30am. and next Saturday evening at 6.00pm for the celebration of Mass, booking is not required. Please see the Newsletter for up to date news.
