Text: Mark 4:35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!
For those who practice the discipline of praying the Daily Office appointed in the Book of Common Prayer (1979), you would recall the above text was the third reading for Morning Prayer today, March 13. At St. Mary in Palms, we still are praying Morning Prayer as part of daily Mass. We are still praying for all whose lives have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic including all who work tirelessly day and night to find lasting cures for the many diseases facing our generation.
My short reflection:
As I read the above passage, I wondered how many people - in light of the anxiety, confusion and uncertainty created by the presence of novel coronarirus (COVID-19) - are probably asking the questions: where is the Jesus "The disciples woke and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Where is the Jesus who "got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." Why can't that Jesus "just do his thing and remove" the coronavirus from our world and let life return to normalcy? Impact on free will??
Where is the Jesus who asked "his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Has our faith got anything to do with the ongoing work by researchers and policy makers and laboratories to find a lasting cure for the coronavirus?
For your meditation:
How do you see Jesus and faith present in the current challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19?
