Sunday Sermon for June 23, 2024, the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Readings: Job 38:1, 8-11; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41
In the second reading today, St. Paul says whoever is in Christ is a new creation. He goes on to say the old things have passed away and the new things have come. We have a hint at what this means when we look at the other readings for the day. In the first reading we hear God explaining to Job about creation, specifically about the creation of the sea and its limits. In the Gospel, we hear about Jesus commanding the wind and the waves, both of which obey Him.
What we see in this idea of a new creation is that the original creation is already present, but in Christ, something occurs that not only elevates the creature, but causes a change to occur. In other words, it is not merely a renewal of what God created in the beginning, but the change that takes place is so profound that the creature becomes a new creation.
To understand this more clearly, St. Paul points out that if Jesus died for all, then all have died. When we were baptized, we became members of Jesus. But recall, Jesus is the Christ only because of His death and resurrection. Therefore, when we were baptized, it was into the death and resurrection of our Lord. From a spiritual perspective, we have already died and now we are living in a new way, in the glory of the resurrection.
Clearly, we have not died and resurrected physically, but by participating in everything that is in Christ, we already share in His death and resurrection. This is why St. Paul says Jesus died so those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for the Lord Whose life we share. St. Paul’s teaching hinges on two points: first, Jesus did not die for Himself, He died for us. Second, having died for us, and now giving us a participation not only in His life, but in His risen and glorified life, we should not only be grateful, but we should love Him.
Out of love for us, Jesus gave His natural life for us in order that He could give His supernatural life to us. Out of love for Him, we receive that new and supernatural life from Him and we live His life spiritually now while we await the day we will be transformed by sharing physically in His death and resurrection.
When Jesus commanded the wind and the waves, nothing was changed in the physical order. The wind and waves calmed, but the size and physical composition of the sea did not change at all. Even though no physical change could be perceived, the Apostles recognized that something was different. They marveled at the fact that the natural elements obeyed our Lord’s command, but this pointed to a deeper and more profound change that did occur.
On the natural level, especially in the ancient days, people had no control over the elements. No one was able to control the wind. Wind breaks could be erected to block the wind, but no one could control the actual blowing of the wind. The same is true of the water: no one could control the waves. We have built giant boats that can handle the waves better, but even giant boats are still at the mercy of the weather.
If we extend this beyond just the weather, we all know how many storms come up in our lives. Like the Apostles in the boat, we sometimes begin to panic and even lash out at God, thinking He does not care. In the Gospel passage, we read that Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. With all the commotion from the wind, the boat being tossed about, the water breaking over the sides of the boat probably drenching Jesus, and the Apostles screaming in fear, Jesus remained asleep. It appeared as if He was unaware or, using the words of the Apostles, that He did not care.
We need to look at this from a different perspective. Jesus was with them the entire time. He was sleeping, but He remained with them. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus remained calm and peaceful. The Apostles did not need to yell at Him or question Him, they needed to have faith in Him. This is true for us as well. In the midst of the trials and tribulations that beset us, we need to know Jesus is right there with us. He may seem to be sleeping, but He has not abandoned us. These are opportunities for us to live as a new creation. Externally the storms are there, but interiorly we can remain at peace by living our faith in Jesus Who is with us in the storm and making all things new.
Fr. Altier’s column appears regularly in The Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly published in St. Paul, Minn. For information about subscribing to The Wanderer, please visit www.thewandererpress.com.
