LOOK UP
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

The gospel reading for the 12th Sunday of the ordinary time (Jesus stilling the storm) reminds me of a story that I heard when I was in the fourth grade. Once, a teacher took his students on a trip to the ocean shoreline. They took a ride in a sailboat. Suddenly they ran into a tempest which really rocked the boat. The sail itself was snapped into two and part of it fell into the boat. The boat lost its control and direction. The roaring waves began to spill over into the boat. “We are in danger. If any one of you has the courage, climb up the mast and then tie the remainder of the sail to the mast. That way we are able to regain control of the boat,” the Captain said.

One of the boys climbed up and tied the sail to the mast. Then he tried to climb down. He couldn’t because while he was climbing down he looked into the boat and into the sea. He saw that the boat was filling with water. The waves were crashing into the boat and rocking it. He was scared and started crying out in panic. “Don’t look down. Look up and climb down,” the Captain instructed him. The boy did as the captain ordered. The sky looked calm and quiet now. So the boy no longer felt scared and nervous. He felt confident, so he continued to climb down while looking up. The captain then told the students, “The world is an ocean and our lives are like small boats in it. When problems and difficulties arise and rock our little lives don’t get panic but look up, look up to heaven. God is there to comfort and console us.”

Look up. Turn to God. Come into his presence. You will be safe. This is the message of the Gospel reading too (Mk: 35-41). Remember the Gospel story. The violent storm rocked their boat. The disciples were in panic. In fear and tremble, they cried out and awakened Jesus. Everything cooled down. They experienced stillness and calmness. Three things are important to notice.

1. They did everything right. It is true that they were panic and fearful. Their frustration, however, turned into a prayer. Frustrations and hopelessness, anxieties and worries, pain and struggles, all these are part of life. What is important is how we respond to that. The story of Job is a great example of growing through struggles.
2. Who was really sleeping, Jesus or Disciples? The faith of the disciples was asleep. Even though Jesus was with them, they experienced his absence. This is possible in our life too. The busy-ness of our life can take away our focus from God. They re-turned to Jesus, everything once again returned to the normal. Focus on Jesus. Only then you will be safe. When you focus on yourself, all kinds of problems will pop up. Doing the latter is like looking at things that are too close when we are traveling in a car at a fast speed. When you look at objects that are close up, they will appear to be moving away from you. But if you look at distant things, they will move along with you. Those who are rooted in Jesus are never uprooted.

3. Peaceful storm. Jesus and the disciples were facing the same storm. They, however, responded differently. While the storm shattered their peace, Jesus, slept peacefully. Jesus did so because He was always in the presence of God, his Father.

Awaken to God’s presence and awake his presence in you. You will be safe and no storm will touch you. Those who put their trust in the Lord are like mount Zion, that cannot be shaken, that stands for ever. As mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever (Ps 125:1-2).