We must never become discouraged in the face of the many disappointments and difficulties of our lives, but must trust in the Lord, as the liturgy of the word for this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time reminds us. God is everything and can do everything, as he has in fact accomplished and continues to accomplish throughout the history of this weak and fragile humanity. Whenever we entrust ourselves to God, hope, joy, and happiness arise from tragedy; life arises from death. When the storms return, let us cry out firmly to the Lord our sincere desire to welcome his word and put it into practice, making it bear fruit for the granaries of the Kingdom of heaven. Believing in the power of God and of his Christ is the first step toward a mature faith.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
4th week, proper readings.

Texts taken from the missal “On Your Word” May-June 2021

FIRST READING

From the Book of Job (Job 38:1, 8-11)
The Lord addressed Job from the midst of the storm: “Who shut in the sea behind two doors, when it burst forth from the womb, when I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I set its limits, fastening its bars and doors, saying: ‘Thus far shall you come and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”

Commentary on the First Reading

In today’s passage from the Book of Job, God makes his servant understand that his attempts to comprehend him and understand the world are destined to fail: who can know the universe perfectly except the one who created it? We often clash with people who behave differently from us or do something in a different way than we would have done it; it is healthy to remember that we do not hold the key to human behavior, but the one who created the sea, the earth, and the sky, and everything that lives in them, so that all together may praise the Creator, without the arrogance of exceeding their own limits, but rejoicing in the diversity of every creature. Let us never become discouraged in the face of the many disappointments in our lives, but trust in the Lord, as Job reminds us, an example of holy resignation and patience. God is everything and can do everything, as he has in fact accomplished and continues to accomplish wonders throughout the history of this weak and fragile humanity.

SECOND READING

From the Second Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:14-17)
Brothers and sisters, the love of Christ impels us, and we are convinced that one died for all; therefore, all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and was raised for them. Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

Commentary on the Second Reading

“The love of Christ impels us”: what power there is in this phrase of Paul’s. Being possessed by the love of Christ is what saves our lives, because that love is capable of accompanying and supporting us in every situation, even the most difficult. Christ’s love was revealed on the cross, conquered death, and is therefore capable of making us victorious too, we who are possessed by that love. Christ’s resurrection has established the possibility of new life for everyone, but it is up to us to welcome God’s grace fully. If we are new creations, we cannot regard others in a “human way”; our way of seeing must change so that we can see what Christ has done in other people who, in turn, are possessed by his love. In ourselves and in others, we must no longer see the difficult past, but the face of a new creation transformed by the love received. Only love makes us new creations. Only awareness of being loved enables us to renew our lives. Let yourself be possessed and guided by the love of Christ, which makes you a new creation.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 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 behind, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. 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 a great calm. Then he asked them: “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

In the Bible, the sea is the dwelling place of all the powers hostile to God. Victory over evil powers is not within human power; it belongs to God alone. Jesus rises against the fury of the wind and commands the sea, using the same words used to dominate the demon: thus he reveals himself as the only Savior, the only one who can save humanity from all evil powers. All this is illuminated by the fundamental truth of faith: God saves through the death and resurrection of his Son. How many times are we afraid; how often do life’s problems become so great that they seem to overwhelm us like the raging waters of a stormy sea! How often do we feel that the Lord is not near us, does not think of us, does not help us, and lets us be crushed by certain events or situations! God is not elsewhere, and he does not sleep. He is already here in your boat. God is present, but in his own way; he wants to save you, but he does so by asking you to bring all your abilities into play, all the strength of your heart and mind. He does not intervene in your place, but together with you; he does not exempt you from the crossing, but accompanies you through the darkness. He does not protect you from fear, but in fear. Despite appearances, Jesus is always with you, and he saves you. Have faith!