Homily: Saturday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: 2 Sm12:1-7, 10-17; Ps 51; Mk 4:35-41

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"You are the man!" [2 Sam 12:7]

David, the King, his sin exposed by Nathan, comes to realize the depth of his sinfulness. It is through your sin, the Lord tells him, that you have despised me. Such very hard words from God. And how these words must have torn open the heart of David, as he came to realize the depth of his sinfulness.

David, the King, falls to the ground. Now a penitent like any other sinner, he repents, pleads for forgiveness, and prays for the life of his infant son. We hear David's grief and his plea expressed in Psalm 51, the penitential hymn he prayed that very day:

For I know my transgressions; my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your eyes...Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God; then my tongue shall revel in your justice. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. [Ps 51: 5-6,16-17]

Yes, his guilt makes David unable to praise; God must open his lips. God, through forgiveness, must allow David to love once again.

David sings his Psalm of repentance

But even though God forgives, sin still has its consequences, doesn't it? And if the sinner is great in the world's eyes, those consequences can be far-reaching indeed.

For David the most devastating consequence is the death of his son, the product of his sin. But he is also King, so the nation and its people will suffer as well. And the King hears that ominous prophecy: "The sword shall never depart" from the house of David.

Yes, David is forgiven, for our sins don't condemn us. If they did none of us could be saved.

No, the threat to our salvation comes from our refusal to repent, our unwillingness to change. But God never stops calling and waits patiently for repentance and conversion. His mercy is always there, just waiting for us.

You see, Bothers and Sisters, God wants life for us, not death. This is why He sent His only Son, our Redeemer, into the word, not to condemn the word, but...

"I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly" [Jn 10:10].

But that abundant life depends on our acceptance of God's gift of faith. How did Jesus scold the Apostles in today's Gospel passage? He did it with two questions...

His first question? "Why were you afraid?" The answer is simple enough...because the threatening seas had convinced them they wouldn't survive the storm. Yes, they were terrified.

And His second question? "Do you not yet have faith?" Again, a simple answer: No, they didn't, because fear and faith cannot coexist in the human heart.

Jesus Still the Sea - Fear and Lack of Faith

But Jesus performs this miracle because of their fear, so they will come to know who He is, so they will be able to answer that other question He will ask them later: 

"Who did you say that I am?" [Mt 16:15]

Yes, Jesus speaks to the sea as only its Creator can, and the Apostles ask themselves a question having just witnessed its answer:

"Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" [Mk 4:41]

Of course the other Gospel message is Jesus' ongoing Presence in the Church.

The boat and the Twelve represent the fullness of the Church community, and no matter the trials and storms it might face, Jesus is always there among us.

Our weak faith can cause to believe God is sleeping, unaware of the threats surrounding His Church. And like the Apostles we turn to God our hearts touched with despair: "...do you not care that we are perishing?"

Silly question - one asked only by the weak of faith.

Brothers and sisters, we were given the gift of Emmanuel - God with us - so we need never fear, we need never despair. God remains with the Church, just as He promised:

"I am with you always, until the end of the age." [Mt 28:20]

And He remains with you and with me, always calling us, always forgiving us, always loving us, always saving us.