{"id":3131,"date":"2015-06-21T01:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/?p=3131"},"modified":"2016-10-10T13:06:14","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T20:06:14","slug":"the-message-of-the-sea-homily-for-the-12th-sunday-in-ordinary-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/the-message-of-the-sea-homily-for-the-12th-sunday-in-ordinary-time","title":{"rendered":"The Message of the Sea – Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rembrandt<\/a><\/p>\n

I love a good historical novel about ships and sailing,
\nespecially stories set in the Napoleonic era,
\nwhen England and France battled on the high seas.
\nBut, though my mom and dad were both in the Navy,
\nI\u2019m not much of a sailor myself.<\/p>\n

The first and only time I sailed on the ocean
\nwas twenty-five years ago, when Brenda and I took the ferry
\nfrom Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia,
\non our honeymoon.
\nFor a short period of time\u2014only about 15 or 20 minutes\u2014
\nland was out of sight,
\nand we were completely surrounded by water in all directions.
\nI have to admit, I\u2019m glad it was only for that short time.
\nAs much as I love reading stories about ships at sea,
\nI was nervous being on this ship
\nin the middle of the great blue ocean.
\nWhen you\u2019re at sea you\u2019re at the whim
\nof the the waves and and wind.<\/p>\n

For Christians in the first century,
\nthe sea was even more frightening.
\nThose were the days before cruise ships,
\nbefore sonar, before electric spotlights, or satellite navigation.<\/p>\n

The image of the sea runs through the readings of today\u2019s liturgy.
\nGod asks Job, \u201cWho shut within doors
\nthe sea?\u201d
\nIn the responsorial psalm God raises up a storm on the sea
\nand then calms it.
\nAnd in the gospel we have the dramatic scene
\nof Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

God is using the sea to speak to us today.<\/p>\n

In the gospel, Mark refers to the \u201cSea of Galilee,\u201d
\nbut it\u2019s really just a lake,
\nonly about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide.
\nIt\u2019s not much bigger than Lake Coeur D\u2019Alene.
\nIt\u2019s also known as Lake Gennesaret or Lake Kinneret.
\nBut Mark calls it a sea,
\nto suggest images of chaotic power,
\nof sea monsters, of evil.<\/p>\n

The sea is a place of mystery,
\nof powerful forces hidden below the surface.
\nIt is something to be feared,
\na mysterious depth that no one but God can control.<\/p>\n

It is at the shore of this fearful depth,
\nas evening descends,
\nthat Jesus says, \u201cLet us cross to the other side.\u201d
\nHe says the same thing to us today.
\n\u201cCome with me.
\nGet into my boat and let\u2019s cross this sea together.\u201d<\/p>\n

So the disciples get into the boat with Jesus
\nand begin making their way across the sea,
\nwhen suddenly a violent storm comes up.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a powerful painting of this scene by Rembrandt.
\nIn his painting the front of the boat is high in the air,
\nlifted by dark waves that crash over the side.
\nInside the boat, the disciples are each doing different things.
\nOne is trying to climb up onto the mast,
\ntaking things into his own hands.
\nAnother is in the back of the boat with his hand on his forehead
\ngetting sick into the sea.
\nOne is just staring out at the water in panic as if to say,
\n\u201cWhat is happening?\u201d
\nAnd a couple of the disciples are staring angrily at Jesus
\nwho is very calm in the back of the boat.<\/p>\n

Mark tells this event
\nto a church that was facing storms of its own.
\nIt was facing persecutions,
\nand doubts about whether Christ would return.
\nWe, too, encounter violent storms
\nas we sail on the sea of our lives.
\nMany things in the world disturb us,
\nshake our faith, weaken our confidence in God.
\nWe have only to pick up a newspaper, turn on the evening news,
\nor scan the latest headlines
\nto see that life is turbulent.
\nAnd the trials of daily life, both great and small,
\ncrash over the side of our tiny fishing boat.<\/p>\n

Our little boats, the boats of our lives,
\nare tossed and turned as the waves pour in.<\/p>\n

If we were to look closely at Rembrandt\u2019s painting,
\nwe would notice that there are actually thirteen people
\nin the boat with Jesus.
\nJesus is there with his twelve disciples,
\nbut there is an extra person.
\nRembrandt painted himself into the scene.
\nWe can do the same
\nand imagine ourselves in the boat on the stormy sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

All around us are the wild forces of nature:
\nthe darkened sky, the wild wind, the heaving sea.
\nAll around us are the wild forces of our lives:
\nviolence and prejudice;
\nillness and poverty;
\nstress and self-doubt
\nWhat waves are crashing in on us today?<\/p>\n

Today we bring the storms of our life into the gospel.
\nWe find ourselves with the disciples
\nin the tiny fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee.
\nWhich of the disciples do I most identify with?
\nAm I trying to climb the mast of the ship,
\ntrying to take things into my own hands?
\nOr am I just barely hanging on,
\nhead in hands at the end of the boat, getting sick into the sea?
\nAm I just staring out at the waves,
\nnot knowing how to act, not knowing what to do,
\nparalyzed?
\nOr am I looking angrily at Jesus yelling, \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

We all react to the storms of our lives in different ways.<\/p>\n

And there, at the rear of the boat,
\nresting quietly on a cushion,
\nis Jesus.
\nSee him resting quietly, fully trusting in the Father.
\nFully trusting in the one who made the sea,
\nin the one who harnessed the oceans.
\nHe is calm, he is peaceful. The Prince of Peace.<\/p>\n

And now the disciples wake him up and they say,
\n\u201cDon\u2019t you care about us?\u201d
\nJesus rises to his full height,
\nand speaking in the same manner as when he drives out demons,
\nhe says to the storm,
\n\u201cQuiet! Be still!\u201d
\nHe rebukes the wind just as he rebukes demons.
\nThe disciples ask,
\n\u201cWho then is this whom even wind and sea obey?\u201d
\nThis is no ordinary person.
\nThis is God present with us in the storms of our lives,
\ncome to accompany us in the midst of our upheavals,
\nin the midst of our greatest fears,
\ncome to be with us.
\nAnd this is God, who challenges us to have faith in him,
\nto remember who God is.
\nThat is the message of Job,
\nthat is the message of the gospel.
\nNot to forget who God is.<\/p>\n

Faith doesn\u2019t mean smooth sailing.
\nFaith means knowing who God is
\nand knowing who I am in relationship to God
\nand allowing that relationship to bring about peace in my heart,
\nto bring about calm.<\/p>\n

And finally, on this Father\u2019s Day weekend
\nthere is a special message for fathers in today\u2019s liturgy.<\/p>\n

If you have one of the parish calendars,
\nyou might have noticed the picture for this month of June.
\nIt\u2019s another painting of the Storm on the Sea of Galilee,
\nthis time by Jan Brueghel the Elder.
\nIt brings out something in the gospel
\nthat might otherwise be forgotten:
\nin the midst of the violent storm
\nthere are other boats on the Sea of Galilee,
\nother people following Jesus across the water.
\n\u201cAnd other boats were with him,\u201d Mark tells us.<\/p>\n

Looking at the painting closely,
\nwe see that the people in the other boats
\nare looking at Jesus and the apostles.
\nThey are looking for leadership;
\nthey are looking for guidance.
\nHow are the apostles reacting to the storm?
\nAre they confident and trusting,
\nor are they fearful?<\/p>\n

\"Jan<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the same way that children look to their parents.
\nWhen life is chaotic and stressful,
\nwhen a family\u2019s boat is tossed about on a stormy sea,
\nchildren look to their parents to know how to react.<\/p>\n

On this Father\u2019s Day weekend
\nwe give thanks to all fathers and grandfathers
\nwho have weathered the storms of life
\nby placing their boats in God\u2019s hands.
\nTheir example has shown us the way.<\/p>\n

And we who are fathers
\nare challenged to do the same,
\nputting faith in God,
\nbuilding our relationship with Christ each day.<\/p>\n

Just as we spend time servicing and maintaining the boats
\nwe take to the lake each summer weekend,
\nwe are challenged to take the time
\nto service and maintain the boats
\non which we sail the sea of life.<\/p>\n

And then when the winds blow and the waves crash,
\nwe will remember who God is,
\nand our faith will keep us and our families calm and unafraid.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Soul Shepherding<\/a> for inspiration and information on Rembrandt’s painting.<\/h5>\n
http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/stpeter\/SP-2015-06-21-494.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>

Podcast: Play in new window<\/a> | Download<\/a><\/p>

Subscribe: RSS<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love a good historical novel about ships and sailing, especially stories set in the Napoleonic era, when England and France battled on the high seas. But, though my mom and dad were both in the Navy, I\u2019m not much of a sailor myself. The first and only time I sailed on the ocean was twenty-five years ago, when Brenda and I took the ferry from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, on our honeymoon. For a short period of time\u2014only about 15 or 20 minutes\u2014 land was out...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The Message of the Sea - Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[349],"tags":[593,357,596,595,592,594],"class_list":["post-3131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homily","tag-brueghel","tag-gospel-of-mark","tag-job","tag-nautical","tag-rembrandt","tag-sea"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pOucj-Ov","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3131"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3137,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3131\/revisions\/3137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}