Who can this be?

 Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B - 20th June 2021

Gospel Mark 4: 35–41

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples,

‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

Gospel Reflection from St Beuno's Outreach

Taking note of how I am feeling, I move gently into prayer. I pay attention to what I can hear around me – perhaps there is a gale blowing, or maybe all is calm. What can I ‘hear’ within myself?

Do I feel unsettled, agitated? I ask for the Spirit’s help and, perhaps, for the grace to trust or for the gift  of faith.

I read this very familiar gospel slowly, two or three times. I stop wherever I feel drawn. What am I particularly noticing today?

Are there any questions surfacing for me? Perhaps I am struggling with a particular storm in my life at the moment. Or is there something I am afraid of? I ponder....

Jesus questions the disciples’ fear and their lack of faith. What might he be asking of me today? How does this make me feel?

As I continue to pray, I ask: How might this gospel account apply to me? Do I feel that the Lord is asleep sometimes, and I need to wake him? Can I be honest with him?

In the calm following the storm, the disciples are filled with awe. This leads them to a question of their own: ‘Who can this be?’

Perhaps I ponder their question myself.

Can I recall times when struggles have led me to a greater realisa on of God’s presence? ... a deeper understanding of who the Lord is?

I remain alongside the Lord, in the calm and the quiet, happy to be with him. When ready, I end with a sign of the cross.

I remain in God’s love for me and end my prayer slowly: Our Father...

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