Reflection on an aspect of Faith
By Fr Kevin Canty, CM (National Director)
The gospel for the AMM Mass at St. Anthony’s, Marsfield on Saturday, February 1st, was taken from the Gospel of Mark 4:35-41. In this passage, Mark gives us an account of the incident where Jesus urges his disciples to get into their boats to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. There they encounter a severe storm, with waves that hurl themselves upon the boats. Jesus will soon calm the waves, leading his disciples to ask the question,
“Who, then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?“
In the narrative of creation (Genesis 1:1-2) and that of the flood (Genesis 7:1-24) contained in the Book of Genesis , we learn that the sea, as distinct from the land, was for the Jews a symbol of chaos, and therefore of the evil which tries to resist God’s creative and redeeming action. In the scene before us, Jesus is venturing out into the midst of chaos. He is also taking his disciples to ‘the other side’, the Gentile side, the country thought of as ‘unclean’, at the mercy of evil spirits.
The waves hurl themselves against the boats, seeking to destroy Jesus and his disciples. Jesus is clearly unafraid. The same cannot be said of his disciples.
The scene would have carried a special relevance for the Christian community at the time that Mark was writing, as it still does wherever there is persecution. Jesus appears not to hear our cry, but the awakened (‘Risen Christ) is truly caring, and at his command the forces of evil fall silent. We are watching the Creator vanquishing the sea monster.
Jesus rebukes the wind, an expression we find in Psalm 107:29-30, where the word of the Creator God rebukes the waters of chaos and they flee before his command. God also rebukes the waters in the Red Sea (Psalm 106:9). In Jesus we see our Creator and Redeemer conquering the forces of evil, a lesson his disciples must learn. It is important that we notice that Jesus does not contrast faith with doubt, but with fear, when he says to his disciples
“Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”
There is a kind of doubt that is consistent with faith, the doubt that rises from a humble mind, which recognizes the limits of its own understanding. This kind of doubt is important; it is the cutting edge of the mind seeking deeper insight. Such doubt is accompanied by wonder and is characteristic of a mind that is open to the mystery of life. And we are called to that faith that is always open to the mystery of the Risen Christ with us in all the difficulties life might place before us. He calls us to have faith in his presence wherever chaos or the storms of evil surround us,
”Do not be afraid! I am with you.”
