The most
important thing that the Lord expects of us when we sin is true conversion. We
can say all the sorry/s we like but if it's not coupled with a transformation
of our hearts then we are no better than the snakes that shed off their skin
but come out the same. We've got to be like those caterpillars after shedding
off their chrysalis or silk coverings emerges into a beautiful butterfly. Just
like in today's 1st reading when David asked God for forgiveness, truly
repented and mend his ways. Amen. Hallelujah!
2 Samuel
12:1-7a, 10-17
...Then
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan answered David,
“The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin you shall not die.14 But since you
have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed, the child born to you must surely
die.” 15 Then Nathan returned to his house. The LORD struck the child that the
wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it became desperately ill. 16 David
besought God for the child. He kept a fast, retiring for the night to lie on
the ground clothed in sackcloth. 17 The elders of his house stood beside him
urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor would he take food
with them.
Today's
psalm is a song that I have come to know and sing by heart without the aid of a
song book. I always love to sing it and hear it being sung most especially by
the choir during mass. It is well for us to not just love to sing it with our
voices but with the sincerity of our hearts. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm
51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R: Create a
clean heart in me, O God.
10 [12] A
clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11
[13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
(R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit
sustain in me. 13 [15] I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall
return to you. (R) 14 [16] Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God; then
my tongue shall revel in your justice. 15 [17] O Lord, open my lips, and my
mouth shall proclaim your praise.
The Sea of
Galilee has taken on a deeper meaning in my life way back in 2007 when I
decided to come here to the US Sea of Galilee
and should always keep in mind and never forget. As we gather all our strength
and courage we, too like the disciples should never turn back and go forth to
our own Galilees. I could still recall the bible story in Luke 5 entitled,
"The call of Simon (later on named Peter) the Fisherman." It was way
back in Feb. 4, 2007, during those times when I was discerning and weighing my
decision to come here to the US Sea of Gennesaret Sea of Galilee is the place where
Jesus chose His Apostles and also where the apostles immediately left
everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:10-11). Which reminds me too of that song
entitled, "Lord, you have come"
The background setting of this song is biblically based on the gospel
stories of the call of Jesus to Peter and the apostles at the Sea
of Galilee . It held a
special and deep meaning that touched my heart in an unexplainable way owing to
the occasions and incidences that were connected and related to it. But I
believe God in His awesome and almighty wisdom, intelligence and knowledge
reveals things in stages for the benefit of our limited capacities and
understanding. The series of events and daily readings became an eye opener and
has given me a better understanding of all the things that have happened since.
I realized it is always good to look back, recall and never forget those times
in our lives when Jesus was calling us for a certain task and decided to follow
and obey. As I develop in myself a broader understanding of the Call at the Sea of Galilee I also realized the need to go across it
and experience a higher level of union with God. In the gospel of Luke back
then, the situation was different since the Sea of Galilee in that given bible
passage was very reassuring since it gave an impression of peace and calm which
was very conformed to my situation back in the Philippines before I left for
the US. When I finally arrived here in the US and experience life away from my
loved ones and encountering the challenges I now face I was able to relate to
that gospel in Mark 4:35-41 also at the Sea of Galilee when the disciples were
faced by a violent squall and big waves filling up the boat to the brink of
causing it to sink. Very much unlike the gospel in Luke when Peter having obeyed
and followed to put out into the deep water was rewarded with a miracle, Lk.
5:6-8 “... when they caught a great number of fish and their nets were
tearing... and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.”
Immediately upon arriving the US I was also greeted with a lot of pleasant
surprises like passing the NCLEX-RN, getting a hospital petitioner, being able
to travel to the East Coast (New York, Michigan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC) for free and winning the grand prize in the
Nurse Expo. All these experiences of the disciples in the Sea
of Galilee I have noticed that I can personally relate to
especially in the manner of the sequence I have encountered them. In both
occasions, the disciples having followed and obeyed Jesus in both gospels of
Luke and Mark came to this scenario or condition of their boats both in danger
of sinking. Although both happened in the Sea of Galilee, as I look at my own
life the gospel in Luke which I encountered before I left the Philippines
reflected the positive and confirming things that were happening back then just as the disciples having
followed and obeyed Jesus' specifically the bible passages at the Sea of
Galilee in Luke 5:4-6 "Jesus said to Peter, "Put out into deep water
and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master we
have worked hard all night and caught nothing
but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this
they caught a great number of fish their nets were tearing." On the other
hand the gospel in Mark which I have encountered now that I am already here in
the US reflects the trials and difficulties which I can relate to the disciples
response to the bidding of Jesus to cross to the other side were greeted by a
not so pleasant surprise with a violent squall to the point where the boat was
already filled up with water and in the brink of sinking. After having made
those decisions in 2007 which eventually brought me to my present situation
here in the US Galilee . In the same way we are
called to respond in our own personal way to Jesus by carefully looking at our
own lives as we go through a series of stages and discover the various
experiences we had which led us to accepting His call at our own Sea of
Galilee, sail with Him across it, not be afraid of the storm that assail us,
and even go up with Him to the mountain and witness the amazing and wonderful miracle
that only Jesus can give. We should be able to look at the scriptures in
different levels and senses. We can say that St. Mark with regards to today's
gospel is speaking to us a historical event which did happen at the time of
Jesus. Squalls are common in the Sea of Galilee
because of the mountains that surround it. It is known for its violent storms,
which can come up suddenly and be life-threatening for any on its waters. These
tempests are caused by the situation of the lake in the Jordan Rift with steep
hills on all sides. The cooler air masses from the surrounding mountains
collide with the warm air in the lake’s basin. Winds sometimes funnel through
the east-west-oriented valleys in the Galilean hill country and rush down the
western hillsides of the lake. The most violent storms, however, are caused by
the fierce winds which blow off the Golan Heights
from the east. If we are to look in the spiritual sense we are invited to stand
in awe and wonder at who is this as spoken of by the disciples in the gospel.
He is the mighty God who has in his hands the very depths of the earth. He is
God. He said, "Quiet and be still!" These are the same words he
commanded to the evil spirit in Mark 1:25, Jesus rebuked him and said,
"Quiet! Come out of him!" This is the same command to the destructive
power of the storm which is equal to the power of evil to the soul. Unexpected
storms that come out of nowhere can be compared to the evil in the heart of
man. We all know the destruction brought about by tornadoes, hurricanes and
earthquakes. We look at that and see the absolute devastation and helplessness
that people experience. No one can control it. The weatherman would warn the
people to just run. We leave and get out of there. We evacuate lest we be
destroyed in the presence of the act of nature. We treat the devil in the same
way because that’s the power he has here on earth. This is what happens at the
level of our souls, it has devastating effects. What does the spiritual
weatherman say to us? Run for shelter, get out of there, get away from
temptation and stay close to the Lord. How can we look at this in the spiritual
sense? It’s like we too are on cold waters and out of nowhere there’s this
something that causes destruction and violence in our lives. We can identify it
in our interior lives. It comes over us and we cry out for help. There are
moments when we say we can’t take it anymore, we’re going down, and all we can
do is cry out. We sometimes have this feeling that God does not recognize
what’s happening to us. We sometimes ask if God can possibly be asleep. Or does
He realize what’s happening. When I have decided to leave the confines of my
home country the Philippines and embark on this journey away from the security
that I have been for so long a time been accustomed and used to, I did not
fully realize that the challenges or storms in my life would bring me to new
heights and depths in my personal relationship with God. It made all the
difference knowing that Jesus is in the boat with us. God has authority over
all creation. We need to recognize who He is. Jesus is there to help us so we
don’t perish. God has the power to bring peace in the midst of the chaos in our
lives. We have to recognize that He is present in our lives or in our boat. We
belong to Him. We always pray the Lord’s prayer that Jesus Himself taught us.
We say, “Deliver us from every evil and grant us peace.” We’re the disciples of
the Lord in this boat of life. We receive a sense of peace that can only come
from God. He is the God of the universe and has the power to protect us from
all anxiety and bring us this profound peace.
Jesus is teaching us to continue trusting and
believing that all kinds of storm that are tormenting us and will still come
our way are just background effects and all we have to do is focus on the main
scene which is Jesus is God, He is in charge and always in control. There is no
reason to be terrified if we have faith in God. God does not stop in filling us
all with great awe knowing that He is a God whom even the wind and sea obey.
God never stops in giving us the inspiration to keep on going and continue the
good work He has done for all of us
Amen.
Hallelujah!
Mark
4:35-41
35 On that
day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the
other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just
as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 A violent squall came up and waves
were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. 38 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?” 39 He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be
still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why
are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” 41 They were filled with great
awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
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