The Wind Ceased And There Was Great Calm.
Introduction
We honour today St. Thomas Aquinas, who was one of the greatest theologians in the Church’s history, yet his life was marked by simplicity. He succeeded in making a harmonious synthesis between the philosophy of Aristotle and the theological thought of the Bible and of St. Augustine. Prayer and contemplation were the sources of his theology. In his time he was considered by many a dangerous innovator and suffered much contradiction. Let us ask today for his understanding of the faith, his wisdom and his spirit of prayer.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you for St. Thomas,
a great saint and a wise thinker.
Grant us the wisdom
to reflect on the word of the good news,
that it may deepen our insight in our faith
and make our love for you grow.
Give also to the Church of our time
great prophets and theologians
who make us see what the faith means
to the people of our day.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading HEBREWS 11:1-2, 8-19
Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the Promised Land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age—and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name. He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
Responsorial PSALM LUKE 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (cf. 68) Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,
born of the house of his servant David. R.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old.
that he would save us from our sins
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant. R.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life. R.
Alleluia JOHN 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MARK 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
Commentary
God will raise us up, even from the dead
Thomas Aquinas was born in 1224. His most famous literary work, the Summa Theologiae was his attempt to provide logical proofs for the existence of God. He was invited to become archbishop of Naples and abbot of Monte Cassino but he declined both. He was described by his contemporaries as being “a pure person, humble, peace-loving, devoted to contemplation, moderate, a lover of poetry.”
Today we begin to read from chapter 11 of Hebrews, which is a magnificent hymn on the meaning of faith. The author of Hebrews gives the most extensive description of faith provided in the New Testament, though his interest does not lie in a technical, theological definition. In view of the needs of his audience, he describes what is the meaning of authentic faith.
“Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and being certain of what we cannot see.”
Faith is less about ideology than it is about how we actually live and act. Belief is the source of our behaviour; and conversely, our behaviours tell us what we really believe! Abraham’s faith, according to the passage offered to us today, is his obedience, his movement out of security into a long journey to a place he did not know. His faith is the offering of his son unto death because he believed that God asked that of him.
Abraham had fallen in love with God, to the extent of doing everything what his beloved God asked of him. It was this experience of a loving God that made it possible for him to say “this will work, I am not being led falsely.” We often talk about being in a love relationship with God and to place our trust in him. But, the hitch in all this, is the same experience that happened to the Apostles in the boat on the lake in the storm.
It’s all well and good to be confidant that Jesus can save us from every storm, but what if we experience him to be asleep and that we can’t sense or feel his care? The storm rages and looks like life-threatening and then we start thinking, that maybe the thoughts of the love of God was perhaps nothing more than our imagination! We imagined his love (or his power) and so we take matters into our own hands and begin to panic: this is often my personal experience.
God will raise up, even from the dead, if we believe. That is the deepest and most profound conviction of Christianity.
Intentions
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith and love may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For those who doubt their faith and are afraid of facing the future, that God may give them courage and that we may refresh their hope, we pray:
– For sailors and fishers, that the sea may be peaceful and generous to them; for all who travel, that they may safely reach their destination, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you give taste to our lives
through the bread and wine of your Son,
for they steep us in his love and faithfulness.
Do not allow us to lose our savor
but to be people who try to preserve in this world
the goodness and dedicated love
which you have shown us in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
thank you for letting us share
in the life of your Son.
Do not let us hide our faith
but make it shine in each of us
and in all our communities
as a bright light shining on all.
Let it not be us
but the love and the goodness of your Son
that brightens our world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
This has been a celebration of encouragement and trust. Jesus has assured us: “I am with you. Do not fear. Face life and its problems, as a Church and as persons. Trust me.” May Almighty God give you this trusting faith and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!