Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, June 20, 2021 (EPISODE: 305)

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, June 20, 2021

(EPISODE:305)

Readings for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B
FIRST READING: Job 38: 1, 8-11
Ps 107: 23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31. "Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting."
SECOND READING: 2 Cor 5: 14-17
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 7: 16). Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people.
GOSPEL: Mark 4: 35-41

Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed image ID: 235857250. PRCANJ, MONTENEGRO - JUNE, 08: Jesus Calms a Storm on the Sea, the Catholic Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, on June 08, 2012, in Prcanj, Montenegro. By Zvonimir Atletic
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B - Sunday, June 20, 2021 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ordinary-12b-episode-305  
(EPISODE:305)
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* (Prologue:  Fr Paul Kelly)
"Jesus was asleep in the boat; how few souls there are that let him have his sleep out! He can't always be doing all the work, responding to all the calls made upon him; so for my own part I am content to leave him undisturbed. I dare say he won't make his presence felt till I start out on the great retreat of eternity; I don't complain of that, I want it to happen… our Lord doesn't supply me with provisions for my journey – he just gives me food unexpectedly when and as I need it." [St Thérèse Lisieux (1873-1897)]
 
I have never had much luck with boats.
 
One time, whilst on Lake Cootharaba, (A lake on the Noosa River), in a tin boat we were coming close to the pier and the pilot of the boat yelled out to me, "quickly, jump out and moor the boat!"
 
I had always been taught that the captain must be obeyed in all things, so I immediately leapt out of the boat. Sadly, the captain had meant, 'when the boat gets close enough to the pier, please jump out and help moor it.' The boat was not anywhere near close enough to the pier, when I automatically leapt out and promptly disappeared into the lake, but not before hitting my chin on the pier as I fell into the water. The whole thing could have been terribly disastrous (even fatal), so I was very much relieved to discover that my head must be made of concrete, because I leapt up out of the water, which was thankfully only three feet deep at the pier, and emerged sheepishly, but fairly well, even if a little sore and sorry.
 
Later, I was lying in the back of the boat, half-dazed and injured, as they took me back to the other side of the lake, and I thought about how Jesus had lain in the back of a boat as it crossed another river. I was in such a dazed state, I began musing on ponderous topics…..  such as this…."I reckon Jesus would have been calm even if the storm had not quietened, and even if the boat had sunk." This is because Jesus was totally and utterly at one with his Heavenly Father, and had surrendered his will and his trust totally in his Father's will. So, come what may in his life and ministry, he was content to be calm and rest in God's will."
 
For my part, I vowed to be very hesitant to leap into or out of a boat anytime soon!
 
Not many of us would be fast asleep in a small boat as it is being tossed around like a cork on a stormy sea! Jesus must have been extremely exhausted, needing rest, and also fearless. We may think the disciples should have had strong faith after the miracles they had witnessed. When we are going through difficult times, we too can quickly forget that Jesus is always there with us.
 
Jesus calms even what seems like the most unconquerable disturbances, just like the storm at sea. 
 
How many times have we experienced storms in our lives and thought that the Lord was asleep, that God was not concerned, that God was simply ignoring us? The Gospel today lets us know that God is always aware of what is happening in our lives, even when He seems asleep, unconcerned and uncaring. The Gospel invites us to a deep level of trust in our God. God loves us and cares for us always and will not let us perish. We don't always understand the ways of God—and that should never surprise us. God sees all and knows all and our vision and knowledge is so restricted!
 
The first reading today, from the Book of Job, is part of our learning about the divine also. Job finally realizes that God is God—and Job understands so little of all reality. We also must learn that lesson. We can easily think that we know what is best in any situation. So we don't pray and we don't even ask God to give us wisdom and understanding. We also need to repent, as Job does at the end of the Book of Job. We stand in the presence of the Almighty and think that we have more wisdom and knowledge than does the Almighty! Again, we can reflect on our personal image of God and of the power of God."
 
What "storms" assail my faith? How do I look to Jesus to quiet my fears?  The disciples wonder, "Who then is this whom even wind and the sea obey?"; How can I go beyond the "signs" of faith and grasp who Jesus is in my daily life?
 
Life is a challenge. Couples sometimes struggle with their relationships. Parents have to deal with their children growing up in a world that is sometimes hostile to the values we hold sacred. Kids sometimes live with parents who don't necessarily understand the distant horizons that call to a new generation. Every life has its storms that come up and threaten to sink our boats. Doesn't God care that we feel tossed about and lost? Can we believe that Jesus is with us, in our boat, snoozing on a cushion? We are confident and trusting that he will awaken to our calls and calm the storms that frighten us so?
 
"Why therefore be disturbed? Your heart is agitated by the tribulations of the world, as the boat in which Jesus Christ was asleep... This boat in which Jesus Christ is sleeping, is your heart in which faith is slumbering. What news do you hear, O Christian, what news do you hear?" —AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (354-430)
 
"When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters might not transgress his command when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him." —PROVERBS 8:27-30
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(Homily:  Fr Peter Dillon).
12th Sunday Ordinary Time Year B 2021

In the scriptures, the sea, the wind and the storm are often seen as forces of evil and chaos which only God can control. From the story of Jonah and the whale to today's Gospel, the power of the sea appears as something to be feared because it cannot be harnessed and controlled. But the storm at sea can also stand for the trials and tribulations which the righteous suffer, and from which only God can save them.

For most of us, it's easy to delude ourselves into thinking we have a strong faith when everything in the world is calm and smooth. It's only when the storm strikes that we discover what type of faith we have, or if we have any faith at all. Faith here means not so much a belief in God as a trust in God. In times of adversity, our strong faith may give way to fear and lack of safety.

Some people think that if God was with them, and if he really cared about them, then no storm would ever hit them. Life would be all plain sailing. So, when a storm does come, they immediately think that God has abandoned them. The Gospel today is a clear example that the storm can hit even when you have Jesus in the boat with you. People of faith are not immune to life's losses and burdens.

For some people, they only turn to God in times of danger and uncertainty, begging God to rescue them, making promises to change their lives in exchange for rescue. However, once the crisis is passed, they proceed to live as before. For such people, God is like a lifebelt. In the darkness, God is their guarantor, but in the light they put God away, only to reconnect when fear or disaster strikes.

What real faith does is assure us that God is with us in the midst of the storm, and it is this conviction, that we are not alone, that enables us to get through the storm.

It's hard to imagine that the disciples who had spent so much time with Jesus, who had listened to his teaching and had seen him healing and bringing people back from rejection by the community, would be terrified in his presence. Their faith failed them when they were overcome with fear such that they cried out," Master, do you not care? We are going down!" They had now lost control. The outcome was out of their hands and as we know, not being in control, is an unpleasant experience. In the case of serious illness or an accident, we feel as if everything is falling apart. We are confused and powerless. These situations are both humbling and terrifying since they confront us with questions about our faith and our concern about whether God has abandoned us.

For the early Christians, this calming of the sea was a very relevant event. The boat represented the Church and the storm the persecutions unleashed by the evil powers that wanted to wreck it. Even though Jesus was in the boat with the apostles, the storm still struck.

Life can be compared to a voyage. Though each of us has to pilot our own craft, the life of the Christian is not meant to be a solo voyage. Nor is it guaranteed to be a comfortable ride. We travel with our fellow Christians and so should be there to support one another when the going gets rough. But even with our fellow travellers, we know that when we are guided by faith there is no need to be in control, the master of the ship will always take control.  
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References:

Homily – fr peter Dillon

Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly

Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed image ID: 235857250. PRCANJ, MONTENEGRO - JUNE, 08: Jesus Calms a Storm on the Sea, the Catholic Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, on June 08, 2012, in Prcanj, Montenegro. By Zvonimir Atletic


Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B  (Sunday, June 20, 2021)  (EPISODE: 305)
The Lord be with you.
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{{May Our Lord's grace and love abide in you}} welcome everyone, we gather -  Ponder with reverence, God's word and sacrament. 

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Lord Jesus, you were lifted up to draw all people to yourself: Lord, have mercy//You shouldered the cross, to bear our suffering and sinfulness: Christ, have mercy// You open for your people the way from death into life: Lord, have mercy//

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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Ps 107: 23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31. "Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting."

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 7: 16). Alleluia, alleluia! A great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people.
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PREFACE: Sundays VII
EP II
(theme variation: 2 )

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{Cheers and thanks everyone for this time of prayer and reflection - I hope you have a blessed week. }

Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to our weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks

You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

Prayers and chants  — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009,  The Grail - Collins publishers.

Prayers of the Faithful -   " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'.   E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).

Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" -  By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.

- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John (Bill) Kelly (1942-2017) -  Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

"Quiet Time."  Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.

- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly.  Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer.  Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.

[ Production -  KER -  2021]

May God bless and keep you.
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