Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded again of the love of God, His Presence in our midst and His faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with all of us, and how we all should not be afraid or hesitant to follow Him because if we put our faith and trust in Him then rest assured that we will be well taken care of and provided for, and even though we may encounter challenges, difficulties, obstacles and trials in our path, but as long as we remain firmly faithful in Him, then we shall not falter and shall continue to sail through the storms and troubles of life with God by our side, as He leads us to the right path and true happiness with Him.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which St. John spoke to the faithful regarding the matter of love and how each and every one of them ought to show their love to one another, their compassion and care for those who are around them, because that was exactly what the Lord had done for us all, out of His endless compassion for us, His ever generous love and care, His patience in showing us His loving kindness, in His desire to see us all saved from our predicament and certain destruction because of our many sins. While it is true that because of our disobedience we have fallen into sin and been corrupted by those sins, but God never condemned us or desired our destruction. Instead, it is by those sins, unrepented and unforgiven that we have fallen into damnation.
That is why as St. John mentioned very clearly in his Epistle that the salvation of God has come into our midst through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate, the Divine Son of God Who assumed our human nature and existence so that by His entry and arrival into this world, He might manifest before us all, the love of God in all of its perfection, and showed it all to us. And that was exactly what the Lord had done. He has given us all His only begotten Son so that by His suffering and death, all of us may be saved and redeemed from our sins, and have the sure path towards Him and the eternal life and true joy that can be found in Him alone. Through His perfect and ever enduring love, God has opened for us the path to salvation.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which the famous encounter between the Lord and His disciples in a storm was told to us. At that time, as we heard, the Lord was going by Himself to pray while the disciples of the Lord were together in a boat sailing in the middle of the lake, likely the Lake of Galilee where they often travelled around during the Lord’s ministry. And we heard how the Lord then appeared to those disciples while great storm, wind and waves were battering against their ship, so much so that it would have sunk them. This was one of the few occasions that this had happened to the disciples, but each and every time it happened, the Lord was with them, came to them and helped them.
In this particular occasion, the Lord came to those disciples who were frightened by the waves and the wind, and His appearance, walking on the water made them to be frightened more, as they thought that He was a ghost or spirit. Yet, the Lord reassured them all immediately, telling them all that it was indeed Him Who was there, reaching out to them, and He went to them, miraculously walking on the water, and then calmed the storm and the waves, taming those wind and waves, as He came into their midst. All of these showed those disciples and also all of us that we are truly blessed to have the Lord and Saviour of the whole world to have come into our midst, in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
That story of the Lord saving His disciples and being with them in the middle of the storm in the lake is a representation and reminder for us all that the Lord never abandons us, and He is always ever by our side, even in our deepest moments of struggle and despair. The boat that the disciples were travelling in is a symbol of the Church, and the disciples themselves represent each and every one of us, God’s beloved people. The storm, the waves and the wind are all representations of the danger, struggles and difficulties, all the trials that we may have to face in the midst of all these journey we have, and yet, we must not give in to fear and despair, for the Lord is and will always be by our side, protecting and providing for us.
Now, are we all going to put our trust and faith in the Lord, believing in Him, His love and providence, or are we going to let our fears, uncertainties and doubts to cloud our judgment and path in life? The choice is ours to make, and we must do our very best to remain firm in our dedication and commitment to God, opposing the temptations to abandon the Lord and instead embracing the many other alternatives and false assurances of the world. We must not give in to our fears, but instead trust in the Lord, just as those disciples remained in the boat, and believed in the Lord, and did not abandon the ship to save themselves.
Therefore, let us all remember our faith in God and also our obligation to take good care of one another, to help guide each other in our journey towards the Lord. We are all called to be good role models, inspirations and help for one another, to help lead and guide everyone towards the Lord and His salvation. As Christians, let us all be the bearers of the Good News of God, to be the shining beacons of His truth and love, to be His witnesses and courageous servants in our world today, so that by our exemplary living and actions, we may proclaim Him and His light, His love and truth to many more people around us, now and always. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good works and endeavours, for His greater glory. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 