Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
Posté par diaconos le 20 juin 2024
Why are you so fearful ?
Etymologically, faith means having confidence in something or someone1. In general, it means judging certain events to be authentic. In the religious sphere, faith often leads to devotion and behaviour that should reflect this conviction. Faith is the condition of any religion and the motivation for its practice. In a context of secularisation, faith has often taken on the meaning of simple trust. For example, many authors believe that the omnipotent faith mentioned in the Gospel is simply a matter of trust in life, not trust in God as part of a religion. For classical Latin authors, the word fides had no religious connotations; it came from the secular vocabulary and evoked the simple trust one can have in someone or, as a recent analysis presents it, the virtue of moral and civic trustworthiness.
The term belief refers (by metonymy) to what is believed, that is, to the object of a belief. The philosophical concept of belief is part of the theory of knowledge. Beliefs, whether religious, superstitious or otherwise, are also an object of study in cultural anthropology. Since science is not a belief, but a set of verified, shared and modified knowledge, it cannot be classified as a belief. In Buddhism, belief refers to a serene commitment to the practice of the Buddha’s teachings and trust in enlightened or highly advanced beings such as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas (those who seek to become Buddhas).
Buddhists generally recognise several objects of faith, but many focus on one in particular, such as a specific Buddha. Faith is not limited to devotion to one person, but is linked to Buddhist concepts such as the efficacy of karma and the possibility of attaining enlightenment (bodhi). Beliefs, whether religious, superstitious or otherwise, are also the subject of study in cultural anthropology. Science, being not a belief but a body of verified, shared and modified knowledge, cannot be classified as a belief.
In Buddhism, belief refers to a serene commitment to the practice of the Buddha’s teachings and trust in enlightened or highly advanced beings, such as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas (those who seek to become Buddhas). Buddhists generally recognise several objects of faith, but many focus on one in particular, such as a specific Buddha. Faith is not limited to devotion to one person, but is linked to Buddhist concepts such as the efficacy of karma and the possibility of attaining enlightenment. (bodhi).
From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark
Jesus had been speaking to the crowds all day. When evening came, Jesus said to his disciples : « Let us go to the other side. Leaving the crowds, they put Jesus, as he was, into the boat and other boats accompanied him. « A violent storm broke out. The waves were crashing against the boat, which was already filling up. He slept on the cushion in the stern. The disciples woke him up and said: « Master, we are lost ; do you not care ? » He woke up, threatened the wind and said to the sea: « Silence, silence! » The wind died down and there was a great calm. Jesus said to them: « Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith ? They were very afraid and said to one another : Who is this man that the wind and the sea also obey him ? » (Mk 4, 35-41).
Remaining faithful to Jesus
Lord, thank you for leaving us your Gospel. Thank you for leaving us these four stories of your life in which we can follow your steps, your actions, listen to your Word and learn to know and love you. Send me your Spirit so that I may listen to you with all my being. Make me a good soil, make me faithful to the reading of your Word. Lord, Master of all things, whom even the wind and the sea obey, you created my heart and gave me the gift of life. Accept the offering of my heart and life.
Guard me, guide me, that I may be yours forever ! « Master, we are lost ; do you not care ? Today, in these stormy times, the Gospel challenges us. During the 20th century and at the dawn of the 21st, humanity has experienced tragedies that, like violent waves, have overwhelmed men and peoples. » Sometimes our souls ask us : « Master, we are lost ; do you not care? » (Mk 4, 38) if you really exist, if you are really Father, why these catastrophes Recalling the horrors of the concentration camps of the Second World War, Pope Benedict asked : « Where was God in those days ? Why was He silent ? How could He tolerate such destruction ?
Israel already asked these questions in the Old Testament : « Why do you sleep, why do you hide your face from us and forget our affliction? » (Ps 44:24-25). God will not answer these questions :we can ask him anything except why. We have no right to call him on it. In reality, God is there and he speaks. It is we who are not in his presence and do not hear his voice : « We cannot peer into God’s secret. We only see fragments and we err in judging God and history. We do not defend man, but only contribute to his destruction’. (Benedict XVI)
The point is not whether God exists or not. The point is that many live as if God does not exist. And this is God’s answer : « Why are you afraid? Why do you not have faith ? » (Mk 4, 40) This is what Jesus said to his apostles and this is what he said to St Faustina Kowalska : « My daughter, do not be afraid of anything ; I am always with you, even if it seems that you are not. » Let us not question him. Let us pray and respect His will. Then there will be less drama and we will be amazed when we exclaim : « Who is this that obeys him even the wind and the sea? » (Mk 4, 41). Jesus, I trust in you. Lord, teach me to pacify my heart to be able to hear your voice !
Your providence is present in all my life, in the important choices I make and in the small details. Your providence surrounds me with love and tenderness, even when circumstances are difficult and you seem absent. Yes, Lord, I believe. Increase the trust I have in you, strengthen it ! Let us decide to make an act of faith one or more times during the day. Let us turn to Jesus : « Jesus, I trust in you, my Lord and my God !
Deacon Michel Houyoux
Links to other Christian sites
Hallam Diocèse : click here to read the paper → Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, 23rd June 2024
Loyola Press : click here to read the paper → Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B
Video Sundays Readings : click here → https://youtu.be/2Qs_HxhilF8
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