A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 7, n. 30)
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – June 21, 2009
“Through All the Storms of Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Job 38:1, 8-11 // II Cor 5:14-17 // Mk 4:35-41
(N.B. Series 7 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year B from the perspective of the Second Reading. For other reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year B, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 1 & 4.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
Job is a foremost example of a man assailed by unbearable sufferings. Buffeted by the tumultuous waves of life’s trials, he lost his children, wealth, possessions and even his health and integrity. Dreadful sores broke out all over Job’s body. He went and sat by the garbage dump. With a piece of broken pottery he found there, he scraped his sores. He was indeed a sorry lot. Overwhelmed with intense and unceasing affliction, he ceased to be the proverbial “patient Job”. Instigated by his wife and friends, he railed against God who seemed to have made him suffer unjustly. God obliged with a series of questions that humbled Job and put his problems in proper perspective. Confronted with God’s power and marvels, Job acknowledged his ignorance. He thus bowed to God, the Creator and Master of the universe, whose wisdom and justice transcend human understanding. Without receiving an answer to the mystery of suffering and needing no further answer, Job surrendered to the powerful God who created the sea and stills its stormy waves. Thus Job experienced peace and a renewed outpouring of God’s blessings.
In today’s Old Testament Reading (Job 38:1, 8-11), we hear one of God’s ironic questions that left Job silent and defenseless. God’s creative action and control over the seas are indisputable. Moreover, God spoke to Job from “out of the storm”, which revealed his absolute authority over cosmic elements and his grandeur. God, who formed the earth and the seas, he alone can calm the winds and waves of the storm.
Mark’s Gospel account of the windstorm (Mk 4:35-41) reveals the divine character of Jesus and his wondrous power to pacify a raging sea. The presence of Jesus and his tremendous authority caused the furious waters of the storm to subside and calm down. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, comment: “The liturgy of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time reminds us that we are still at sea, still in the process of navigating to the other shore. It is impossible to accomplish such a crossing without being buffeted by contrary winds and storms. The Lord is always with us – his Church – in the boat tossed by the waves. He is watching even when he is in the storm, asleep on a cushion. We should never doubt in spite of appearances to the contrary. Such certitude causes us to cry to him with faith and trust - with one word he can dispel all storms, quell all tempests. This assurance must give us the boldness to go ahead without being disheartened by anything.”
All of us go through storms in life, even the great apostle Paul. Harold Buetow remarks concerning the Second Reading (II Cor 5:14-17): “St. Paul’s whole life consisted in one storm after another, most for the sake of Christ and many with the people of Corinth. The occasion for his writing today’s excerpt was that the Christians of Corinth were forsaking him, forging impossible loyalties with his opponents and calling him names. Further, they were claiming mystical experiences – ecstasies – which they valued more than anything else. In their view, Paul was inferior to these ecstasies, because he never said anything about his having had mystical experiences himself, nor had he performed miracles. In today’s excerpt, Paul reminds everyone that, through all the storms of life, it is the love of Christ that counts. There is no doubt about the love coming from Christ’s side of the equation. It remains for everyone to return that love in the ways Paul here enumerates: by being concerned about what Christ has done (v. 14), by living not for oneself but for others (v. 15), and by seeing all things in the new light of faith (v. 15). In that way people can be, in a favorite Pauline expression, in Christ (v. 17).”
Sickness and death are intense experiences and they are some of the stronger buffets of life. The presence of Christ and the power of love, however, could bring peace, calm a tumultuous situation and ease a sad predicament. To acknowledge and welcome the loving Savior Jesus Christ could help us cope with the storms of life. The following charming story, “Christmas Forever” by Fr. Joseph Bernie Marquis (cf. The WORD Among Us, June 2007, p.60-63) illustrates the peace, creativity and newness that result from the power of love and the spirit of Christ. Fr. Joseph was ordained in 2000 to the priesthood in the Byzantine Rite of Catholic Church. He used to have a moonlighting job playing Santa at various stores and events, but he still occasionally fills in for Santa.
A heavy wool suit trimmed with fur isn’t what I usually wear in ninety-five-degree weather, especially in a car with no air conditioning. Yet there I was, one hot and humid Michigan afternoon, wearing not just the suit, but boots, a snowy white beard, and a thick woolen hat. It felt like a sauna on wheels, but I really didn’t mind. This was no ordinary day, and I was no ordinary person: I was Santa Claus, on a mission of mercy to a little girl who was dying of leukemia at a nearby children’s hospital. (…)
As I made my sweltering way to the hospital, I asked the Lord to use my visit to delight four-year-old Angela (not her real name) and console her grief-stricken grandfather. He was the one who had arranged this “Christmas in June”, after learning that Angela had just five weeks to live. “What can I do?” he had asked God. “How can I put a lifetime of loving into the heart of my little granddaughter?” As he sat sipping coffee at the kitchen table, he had noticed Angela’s crayon drawing of Santa Claus taped to the refrigerator. He remembered what she had asked him once, as they watched the Detroit Christmas parade together: “Why does it have to end, Grandpa? … I wish Christmas could be forever!” Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do.
Approaching the hospital, I was surprised to see many helpers awaiting Santa at the main entrance – a doctor sporting a Santa hat, nurses, social workers, and volunteers decked out as Christmas elves. “Merry June Ninth!” they called out. “Everything’s ready! We’re so excited that you’ve come all the way from the North Pole to visit the kids.” I quickly got the message that all the patients in the pediatric cancer unit were about to enjoy the surprise arranged for Angela’s sake. Moving merrily through the lobby, my entourage and I packed into the elevator. Excitement mounted as we made our ascent to the oncology floor. Then the doors opened. A magical scene greeted us. The ward was ablaze with holiday lights and filled with the sound of Christmas music. Garlands decorated the hallway, where four Christmas trees stood in splendor. A lively Frosty the Snowman was there to welcome us, scattering snow through a spout that poked through his top hat. Then came cries of delight, as Santa was spotted by six or seven children who were strong enough to be sitting in wheelchairs. I stopped to greet each one, and then went visiting the other children room to room. Meanwhile, Angela’s grandpa stood watching with a smile.
When I finally got to Angela’s bedside, two big blue eyes were peering out over the top of the sheet. “Angela!” I said. The blue eyes opened wider still. A look of sheer joy came over her face. With the whole staff crowded around to watch, I reached into my bag and presented the gift her grandfather had chosen – a new blue dress that Angela had wanted for a long time. From Santa, there was a guardian angel with red tennis shoes and beautiful blonde hair, just like Angela’s before chemotherapy. A small snapshot from her grandpa’s wallet was still fresh in my memory. “She looks a lot like you”, I observed. Then I pinned a little button to her hospital gown. It read: “Santa said I was a good girl!” With the mood so jolly, we launched into some familiar Christmas songs – “Jingle Bells”. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. Then I began one of my favorite carols, “Silent Night”. I really don’t have the words to describe what happened as we sang that last song. All I can say is that an almost palpable peace descended on the room. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was there. (…)
Angela died just ten days later. After the funeral in another part of the state, her grandfather phoned. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m having an easy time”, he said. “Before I called you, I had a good cry.” But then he went on to recount an experience he’d had at the funeral home. “I was looking at my little granddaughter lying there in a white casket in her new blue dress, with the guardian angel doll by her side, and wearing the pin you gave her: “Santa said I was a good girl!” The grief was almost unbearable. “But right then, when I was feeling the pain most profoundly … I can’t explain it, but I felt a sudden peace, even a joy. At that moment, I knew that Angela was with God and that we would be reunited in eternity.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What is our personal stance when buffeted with trials and sufferings? Are we like the “patient Job”, or “Job the whiner”, or both? Do we listen attentively to the voice of God speaking to us “out of the storm”? Do we bow to the mystery of God’s grandeur and omnipotent wisdom?
Do we realize that we are still at sea and in the process of navigating to the other shore, but with Jesus? Do we trust that he cares and with his word, he will save us from the tempests of the sea?
Do we allow the love of Christ to impel us? Do we believe that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation” and that “new things have come”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father, life presents all kinds of storms.
But you are the Creator and the Master of the sea.
You have the power to tame the raging waves
and the tempest of destroying waters.
In Jesus your Son,
you are with us as we navigate to “the other shore”
to bring us safely home to you.
Though the violent waves of life’s trials threaten to engulf us,
we feel safe in the presence of Jesus,
who can pacify the raging sea with his all-powerful word.
Almighty Father,
the fury of life’s storm will never daunt us
for we know that Jesus Christ always accompanies us through our sailing.
We do not allow useless anxieties and petty concerns to drown us
for we are heartened by the reality
that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation”.
We thank you, our Creator and omnipotent Lord,
for as we embark on new uncharted waters,
we draw closer to you and the peaceful waters of your heavenly Kingdom.
We adore you and praise you;
we love you and serve you, now and forever.
.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold new things have come.” (II Cor 5:17)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray for those who are experiencing the raging waves of life’s trials that they may not succumb to fear and despair, but may trust in the Lord. By your active work of charity and assistance to them, enable them to experience the all-powerful word of Jesus Master, who calms life’s storms.
ACTION PLAN: To help us contemplate deeply the all-powerful wisdom of God who acts on our behalf through his Son Jesus Christ, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year B, vol. 5, n. 30).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US