THE DROWNING BOAT!

Today’s liturgy draws our attention to the storms of life, which bring fears and panic. The readings point to the nature of the sea and its attributes. Amidst this, Christ wants us to understand that he is still the Lord of the land, the sea, the sky, and the creator of the heavens and the earth.

In the first reading, God answered Job from the whirlwind. The idea that God answered Job depicts that Job had been praying for God’s intervention over his crises/storms, and the whirlwind is associated with the divine presence of God. In the previous chapter, Elihu, the friend of Job saw an approaching storm and described it as an example of the power of God. He said, “Behold God is great… For He draws up drop of water, which distil as rain from the mist, which the cloud drop down and pour abundantly on man. Can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, the thunder from the canopy? He scatters his light upon it and covers the depths of the sea” (Job 36:26-30).

In this same description of the storm, God speaks to Job saying, “Who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst from the womb… who prescribed bound for it, and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus shall you come and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” (Job 38:8-11). This is probably a reference to God’s work on the second day of creation, when God divided the waters and separated the land from the sea. Job wasn’t around when God did this, and therefore had no idea how it was done nor does he have idea of the boundaries of the sea.

The nature of the sea and storm is at play in today’s Gospel. Christ taught the multitude from the boat off the shore of the Sea of Galilee. When he finished he said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side” (Mk 4:35). While in the boat, a great storm of wind arose and the waves beat into the boat… The severe nature of the storm is evident in the reaction of the disciples. Some of them were experienced fishermen on this very sea and they were frightened by the storm saying, “Do you not care if we perish?” (v.38). In the midst of this, Christ was asleep. We may wonder what kind of sleep Christ was having that the wind did not wake him, nor the water splashing over the boat woke him.

Like a mother in a deep sleep after the fatigue of the day, even if the environment is noisy, she may not wake, but at the cry of her little baby, she will rise. So it was the cry of the disciples that instantly awoke Christ. Storms of life are enormous, and could be so strong and strange that our strength as man can no longer support us. These storms could come when seeking for marriage or life partner; it could be childlessness, joblessness or financial challenges, it could be seeking admission into school. In our context as Nigerians, our storms could be bad governance, economy hardship, bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers… In moments like this, we need to cry out like the disciples for Christ to come and rescue us. If not, we will begin to lose faith, thinking that God has abandoned us like it was in the case of Job and the disciples of Christ.

Interestingly Christ assures us that he remains the Lord of the Sea, Sky and the Land. He is the God who created the universe. This is what Job could not comprehend when the Lord answered him from the whirlwind, “Who shut in the sea with the doors, when it burst from the womb?” (Job 38:8). The response is reflected in the Gospel when Christ rebuked the sea and his disciples, “Peace! Be still!” (Mk 4:39) and there was a great calm. According to the psalmist of today, “For he spoke and raised up the storm-wind, tossing high the wave of the sea that surged to heaven and dropped to the depth” (Ps. 107:25).

To the disciples he said, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? (Mk 4:41). The storm couldn’t disturb Christ, but the unbelief of his disciples disturbed Him. They did not believe in his word when he said, “Let us go across to the other side.” Nor did they believe he is the Lord of heaven and earth. They reacted as if the stormy sea is greater than Him, but He rebuked them because He is the master of all. Finally, the disciples saw the complete humanity in Christ while he was asleep and his divinity, expressed in his authority over the sea that obeyed Him.

Dear friends in Christ, so many things are threatening our lives today that need urgent attention. Some persons are emotionally drowning in depression, which can take their lives soon if measures are not put in place, while some others are drowning economically as a result of poor governance, which is shaking the boat of the nation. For many who are experiencing a drowning boat, either in prayer life or having doubts of God’s power over the storms of their lives, the liturgy of today is a reminder that as the whirlwind is associated with the presence of God, Christ is still in the boat with us and he’s in control over it. All he needs from us is to believe in him and he will safely cross us to the other side.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ