REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/29/22 (Saturday)

Mark 4:38-40

38 But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 39 And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"

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Blessed Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time! The boat represents our faith.   In the gospel reading for today, the wind and the waves were hitting the boat of the disciples that made them afraid. They were always with Jesus, and they saw His Divine authority with His miracles, parables and teachings. But, why were they afraid? They were too focused on their problems that they did not see clearly Jesus, our God, and they did not trust in Him enough. Perhaps, they thought that being a disciple meant that there would no longer be any obstacles in their lives. The invitation of our Lord Jesus for them to reflect more is the same invitation that we receive from Him. 

God grants us the gift of faith. And, in order for our faith to be more purified, He allows our faith to be tested. We can be tested by the personal problems we experience. It's also possible that we may be overwhelmed by the numerous temptations around us. All of these can make us discourage. For other people, they think that to have faith in Christ means that everything in life will be smooth and convenient. In reality, the peace that Jesus gives is different from what the world gives. He does not promise us that there will be no problems. But, what He promises us is if we abandon ourselves fully to Him, we can have peace amidst the struggles we encounter in life. Even if we fall to despair and discouragement, let's not take away our eyes in Christ. Let's remember that Jesus remained with the disciples even when they did not hope in Him enough. He just wants us to be humble and to acknowledge our weaknesses. When this happens, we can obtain His Merciful Love that will cleanse our hearts. Just because He is silent, it doesn't mean He's absent. Maybe, we just need to rest in His presence with complete confidence to His will and providence. In His time, He will teach us many lessons that will make us more equipped and prepared for the trials to come.

May we always spend time in our prayer, so we can seek God's wisdom in our reflection as to why we lack some faith, hope and love. In this way, He will shower us His grace to be  more firm in our resolutions to avoid sins. This is also God's way of teaching us, so we can help other people who may have the same experiences like us. May we also pray to our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through her intercession, God will cleanse our hearts and strengthen us in our hope. As long as we persevere in our faith in Christ, Jesus will peacefully lead us to Heaven, the promised land. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic