Happy 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

06-23-2024Pastoral Reflections© LPi Fr. John Muir

Right now, you and I are only worried about one of only two things: wind or water. Bear with me. This week we hear the account of the terrified disciples waking Jesus in a sea storm. He chastises them for their lack of faith, and then, “rebuking the wind, he said to the sea, ‘Quiet, be still!’” He rebukes the wind and stills the water. In the Bible wind and water represent the two most fundamental poles of our experience of creation. Wind means heaven, spirit, that which gives identity, unity, order, light. Water stands for earth, variation, potential, that which can be drawn into identity, darkness, chaos.

Too much “wind” is when things get way too rigid, abstract, and ideological — when we face oppressive leaders and tyrants, when we get addicted to our own way of doing things, when our attention is too narrowly focused on one thing. Too much “water” is excessive novelty, passivity, indifference, and chaos — when our attention is too broadly diffused on many things, when things seem to be crumbling without direction into the dark abyss. We know both terrifying experiences all too well.

The point of the miracle is that God in Christ is the One who brings final cosmic harmony between these two vital but threatening forces. He ultimately does so from the wood of the cross, when he breathes forth the wind of his spirit and pours forth the water from his side to establish a new creation, filled with harmonious peace. When the wind and water are out of control, trust him.