It's time to wake Jesus up!

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time June 24th 2024 Mark 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, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And 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 great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” This past week a Germany Theologian died, Jurgen Moltman. He had lived through the horror of World War II and the reality of the concentration camps. In his theology he tried to make sense of a God who is all good and all powerful with the terrible suffering of so many people. He said, “I am convinced that God is with those who suffer violence and injustice and he is on their side, but he is not the general director of the theater, he is in the play.” This quote makes a lot of sense to me, in relationship to the suffering of the world today’s Gospel, and also the celebration of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In the Gospel the disciples are in great danger. Many people had lost their lives in the sudden storms that came up on the Sea of Galilee. The life of a fisherman was not an easy life. The disciples were afraid, a sudden storm had come up and they were in danger, I can well imagine them in the boat, frantically rowing, bailing water over the side of the boat, doing all they could to keep the boat from sinking. And where was Jesus? Jesus was there, he was in the boat with them, if they had gone down he would have gone down. They had to wake Jesus so he could protect them and save them. How many times have you been in that boat. You have been in danger, maybe you were robbed, driving in a dangerous area, you were dealing with cancer, or another ailment. Think of the people right now in Ukraine or in Gaza. People who know tremendous suffering. The other Sunday a Father talked to me after mass, his son had been sequestered and there was no word. I could go on and on of examples of suffering, I am sure that all of you could tell me of some suffering that you have experienced or are experiencing. And where is Jesus? It seems like he is still asleep in the boat. That is why this quote for Jurgen Moltman makes so much sense to me. First of all Jesus is in the boat. That is the whole mystery of the incarnation. God’s desire is to be very close to the people, most especially to those who suffer and the poor. Maybe you have to wake him up, that is what we call prayer after all. It is making God aware of our needs. Praying changes things. Don’t presume that God knows what you need. Don’t presume that whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway. Wake Jesus up! Tell him whatever it is that you worried about, whatever you care about. But the key to the answer is the second part of the quote of Jurgen Moltman. God isn’t the director of the play, God is one of the actor’s in the play. Jesus wasn’t in the heavens, Jesus wasn’t sending the wind and the rain. Jesus was in the boat, whatever it is that you are facing, Jesus is facing it along with you. God obviously has control over the winds and rain in our life, but for some reason many times he chooses to just ride out the storm with us. Today we are celebrating our Mother of Perpetual Help. And I have the same image of Mary. Mary obviously is the Mother of God and she has great power as an intercessor. When it seems like Jesus is sound asleep, call on her to help you to wake Jesus from his slumber. But Mary is not this great powerful semi-goddess figure who is going to miraculously make everything ok at the snap of her finger. No, Mary shares in our suffering, she is one with us and she teaches us to be better followers of her Son.