12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deacon Albert
St. John the Evangelist Cathedral
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” The ship is the Catholic Church and we are the ones inside. Teacher, do you not see this huge storm of secularism that threatens to destroy the Church? The winds of change are blowing so fiercely that many in the world want to actually change what it means to be a family, a man or a woman. Christians are drinking the salt water of relativism and selfishness that has splashed over the sides of our ship. We are being ridiculed and lied about in the media, punished in the courts, and many are being killed in Africa and the Middle East. Not only that, but all this chaos has caused many of us to start fighting with each other. Some want a new captain to steer the ship. Some want to toss others overboard, and some even think we should just give up and let the boat be blown wherever the world wants. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Teacher, are you listening? Teacher?
Jesus answers the cry for help, but he also scolds his disciples, why? Perhaps because they are thinking of Christ “according to the flesh” and as a mere teacher. He did just finish teaching the crowds, but he expects the Apostles to see him as something more, so he rebukes them and gives them another sign by quieting the storm. Yet the Apostles still ask “who is this?” Our first reading answers the question with a question – “Who shut within doors the sea when I set limits and said ‘here shall your proud waves be stilled.’” This is a quote from what God said to Job to remind him that He is the God and Lord of creation. By commanding the Sea, Jesus reveals himself to be more than a wise teacher. The Apostles lacked faith because they called for their teacher in fear when they should have turned to their Lord with and savior with trust.
How much are we like the Apostles? Compare the boat and the sea in the Gospel to the Church and the World today. In the Gospel, Jesus has just finished teaching a familiar Jewish crowd and now he is sailing toward some new territory, pagan territory. When they get there they will run into a man possessed by a legion of demons. Jesus sends the demons into some pigs and then commands the freed man to proclaim the good news to his pagan friends and family. Just like this story, the Church began in familiar territory, where she proclaimed the Gospel to the Jews. In no time at all our Church set sail into the future to bring the light of God to the pagan world. Today, some in the Church talk about the “Good ole days.” When the storm hits and confusion sets in, they want to go back to the familiar shore, back to the past, to what used to be. They want Jesus to be a teacher who stays in familiar territory and gives them comfortable list of teachings. But this cannot be, we cannot go back – we must face our future. Just like the boat’s destination in the Gospel, the world’s future appears to be full of pagans, pigs, and demons. And you know what? It is… But we must go anyway. If we don’t go to cast out the legion of demons, of sins, and of lies, who will?
Still, before we can get there, we must faithfully weather the storm we are in – we have to admit many people, even leaders in our church have tried to replace the living water of the Gospel with the salt water of the world’s lies. We must not forget that inside the boat are the apostles – we are inseparably linked to them, to our past. Our past comes with us, the teachings of the Church, her dogmas and doctrines – they come with us. But more importantly, Christ himself comes with us! St. Paul tells us that we live for Christ who died for us. This includes, but is not equal to dogma. So yes, we are moving over a treacherous sea and the life of the Church will develop. She looks different that she did 100 years ago and she will look different in another 100, but she is still the Church. So call out to Jesus, but not as a mere teacher. Call out to him as your God, your Lord and Savior. Pray for Pope Francis, for our bishops, priests, theologians, and for me to be faithful to the Church, to stay in the boat and to stop drinking the salt water – to escape the deceptions of the world! Especially today, on Father’s day, pray for our fathers to educate and form their children, to bear witness to the way in which our heavenly Father never abandons us
Keep up your hope in the Lord. The ship will not sink – in 2000 years it has not sunk. So, stay in the Church, stay in the ship and listen to Christ who rests there – pray for the confidence to rest in and with Christ even in the middle of a fierce storm. Stay close to the Sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. Do not let the media tell you what the Church believes, what we believe. Please read Pope Francis’ encyclical for yourself, don’t let political parties distort it or hijack it. Stick with the sources of the faith: We have scripture, we have the creed we are about to recite, we have the Catechism, and we even have the Vatican website.
Finally – it’s not us versus everyone else. The Gospel also tells us there were other boats with Jesus and the disciples. I think it is safe to say that they too benefited from the calm sea when Jesus intervened. We, the Church, do have a few allies. So, stay in the ship but please do what you can to draw others to the ship. Draw them as close as you can and pray they stay close enough to survive the storm and reach the shore. Perhaps they will see how the Church will once again survive the storm. Perhaps they will come to see how Christ conquers the legions of evil and so marvel at the power of God.
This is the mission of the Church – to boldly sail across the seas of time, reaching all shores and defeating sin and the Devil. We all share in this mission of redemption and hope, so take heart. “Teacher, do you not see that we are perishing?” No… “Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.” Amen.