OT XII [B] SUNDAY (June 23) 8-minute homily in 1- page (L-24)

Introduction: The role of God in calming the storms of life both in the history of the Church and in the lives of Christians is the central theme of the readings for this Storm Sunday.

Scripture lessons summarized: In the first reading, God addresses Job for the first time, questioning his right to challenge God’s authority and leading Job deeper and deeper into the mystery of creation. We hear how the Lord speaks to Job whose life was devastated by storms of the total loss of his possessions, the deaths of his dear ones, and a whole-body disease that left him in misery. “Out of the storm,” God reminds Job that He is in control.

Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 107) picks up the storm theme and tells us how the Lord saves the sailors caught up in the high waves of a tempest: “They who sailed the sea in ships … saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the abyss.”by first “raising up a storm wind,”then “hushing the storm to a gentle breeze.” Paul, who “rode out the storm” of rejection by his former friends, also experienced storms of violent hostility from the Jews, his brothers and sisters in God’ Chosen People, who refused to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. So, he explains in the second reading that Jesus died for us to make us a “new creation.” In order to receive this gift of love, we have to respond, living for Jesus in all situations of our lives because Jesus has gone before us through the uncharted sea of life. In today’s Gospel, Mark assures first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them. He describes how, by a single commanding word, Jesus stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, returned the sea to its natural order, and saved the apostles from drowning. The incident reminds us that Jesus, resting in our life’s boat, is always ready to help us in the storms of life, when we ask.

Life messages: We need to remember that Jesus is always with us in the boat of our life. 1) We all experience different types of violent storms in our lives: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubt, anxiety, worry, temptation, and passion. Only Jesus can still these storms. Jesus can give us real peace in the storm of sorrow. 2) When we are totally depressed with sorrow Jesus assures us of the glory of the life to come. He consoles us at the loss of our dear ones with the assurance of eternal life for them in the Heavenly home of God the Father where we, too, will live one day. 3) When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of our Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us His Divinity and the authority behind the words of the Holy Scripture. 4) If we will ask, and respond with loving trust and obedience, Jesus will give us peace in our tempests of doubt, tension, and uncertainty, peace in our storms of anxiety and worry about ourselves, peace about the unknown future, peace about those we love, and calm in the storms of passion when our hearts grow hot and our tempers blaze.

OT XII [B] (June 23): Job 38:1, 8-11; II Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41 

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: “No! Jesus who calmed the storm will save me!” The Mississippi River was flooding its banks, and the waters were rising swiftly around Dorothy’s house.  The waters had gotten to the level of the front porch where Dorothy was standing when a man in a rowboat came by and called to Dorothy, “Hop in and I’ll take you to high ground.”  Dorothy replied, “No, Jesus who calmed the storm in the sea will save me from flood waters!”  The river continued to rise to the second story windows and Dorothy, looking out, saw a powerboat come up.  The man in the powerboat called to Dorothy, “Hop in and I’ll take you to high ground.”  Dorothy replied, “No, my Jesus will save me!”   The river had now risen to the roof of the house.  Dorothy was sitting on the ridge at the top of the house with the waters swirling around her feet. She saw a helicopter fly over, and the people inside yelled over a bull horn, “Grab the rope and climb in, and we’ll take you to high ground.”  Dorothy replied, “No, Jesus will save me!”  The river continued to rise.  Finally, the floodwaters engulfed the house and Dorothy was drowned.  The next thing Dorothy knew, she was standing before Jesus.  Indignant, she complained to Jesus, “I put my trust in You.  Why have you forsaken me?”  — And to her Jesus replied, “What do you want from Me?  I sent you a rowboat, a powerboat, and a helicopter!” (http://www.inspiration.com). — Today’s Gospel tells us that we have to act promptly, trusting in the power of Jesus and seeking his help as the apostles did. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: The Edmund Fitzgerald buried in Lake Superior: In 1976, the songwriter Gordon Lightfoot recorded a haunting ballad in honor of, and as a tribute to, a ship and its crew members who lost their lives.  He called it “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”  The Edmund Fitzgerald was a giant ore-freighter, 729 feet in length.  It was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes from 1958 until 1971.  The Fitzgerald was labeled “the pride of the American Flag.”  On November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald was hauling a heavy load of ore to Detroit, Michigan, when it ran into a severe storm.  This storm generated 27-30-foot waves.  During the evening hours the ship disappeared from radar screens; apparently it sank in a matter of minutes.  It now rests on the bottom of Lake Superior, broken in two with the bow upright and the stern upside down, still loaded with its cargo of ore and all 29 hands. —  Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus saved the apostles from a possible wreck in the Sea of Galilee (Confer # 2, 3, & 4). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: Sales executive of U. S. Airlines serving as deacon in a correctional center: Frank Kirchberg of Memphis retired a few years ago from the post of a sales executive with U.S. Air Lines. It was the end of an honorable career during which he had raised a fine family. But retirement gave him time to reflect on his life thus far. He had gone to Mass regularly and tried to do the good things and avoid the bad, but he realized he had not done all he might have “as a caring Christian and Catholic.” “When you look at the record closely,” he told the editor of Common Sense, “you will find that a lot of your good Catholic upbringing might perhaps have been lying inert for many years inside, you waiting for this phase of your life to blossom.” So what did he do? In the mid-1970s he enrolled in the corps of those preparing to be ordained permanent deacons in the diocese of Memphis. He could have signed up for a lesser service –- Mass-server, Lector or Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist — but he preferred a greater commitment. The preparatory course gave him a different slant on life. After he was ordained to the diaconate in 1978, he was happy to be assigned to work with young lawbreakers committed to correctional institutions. Experience in sales and as a parent helped him to get on the same wavelength as these youngsters, to whom he became a “father-figure.” He has profited as much as they have. “Through the diaconate experience,” he says, “I have been drawn closer to God through a stronger spiritual life, and it is to the point now where that spiritual life is the major emphasis in my thinking.” — When we reach a stage in life when we think we are finished, God often calls us to a second and even greater career. Be ready for such a call. Maybe St. Paul had you in mind when he wrote, “The old order has passed away; now all is new.” (2 Cor 5:17: today’s second reading). -Father Robert F. McNamara. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Scripture readings summarized: The role of God in calming the storms of life is the central theme of the readings for this Storm Sunday.  The first reading tells us how the Lord speaks to Job whose life was devastated by storms of the total loss of his possessions, the deaths of his dear ones, and a whole-body disease that left him in misery. “Out of the storm,” God reminds Job that He is in control.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 107) picks up the storm theme and tells us how the Lord saves the sailors caught up in the high waves of a tempest by first “raising up a storm wind,”  then “hushing the storm to a gentle breeze.”  “They who sailed the sea in ships … saw the works of the Lord and His wonders in the abyss.”  The second reading explains that Jesus died for us to make us a “new creation.”  In order to receive Jesus’ gift of love, we have to respond with our loving self-surrender, living for Jesus in all situations of our lives.  In other words, Paul celebrates the saving significance of the Paschal mystery – Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection. – and of our participation in it.  Today’s Gospel describes how, by a commanding word, Jesus stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, returned the sea to its natural order, and saved the apostles from drowning.  The incident reminds us to keep Jesus in our life’s boat and to seek Jesus’ help in the storms of life.

First reading: Job 38: 1, 8-11 explained: The Book of Job was probably written by a Jewish sage sometime around the time of the Exile.  It addresses the problem of human suffering but does not solve it.  The book is a kind of folktale and the central character, Job, represents a good person who must deal with the agony of undeserved suffering.  In this week’s text, God addresses Job for the first time, questioning his right to challenge God’s authority and leading Job deeper and deeper into the mystery of creation.  God tells Job that He is the Creator and Lord of the sea and the waters, and only He can control the wind and the sea and the other elements.  “I set limits for the sea and fastened the bar of its door.”  The Book of Job, taken in its totality, teaches the lesson that God has plans and purposes which mortal men cannot grasp.  It also states that, although the wicked can prosper and the innocent suffer for a time, YAHWEH finally redresses the wrongs suffered by the innocent!

Second Reading, 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, explained:  Paul, who “rode out the storm” of rejection by his former friends, also experienced storms of violent hostility from the Jews, his brothers and sisters in God’ Chosen People, who refused to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  Corinth, a Greek seaport, was a cosmopolitan place where multiple Greek philosophies and religions were current, and where seaport morals were common.  Although some received the Gospel enthusiastically from Paul, a few of them were prone to be competitive and to judge each other harshly.  Indeed, some judged Paul himself harshly, particularly when he canceled a planned trip to Corinth in order to attend to matters, he judged more pressing.  Paul has already introduced his distinction between the flesh and the spirit.  Here the flesh means not just the locus of sexual desires, but all the egoism and the egotistic tendencies which urge people live as if they do not need God.  Paul believes Baptism changes all that.  By Baptism, the formerly flesh-centered person has died to that way of life.  This change in Christians changes their fundamental orientation, meaning that the baptized should no longer live for themselves, but for Christ.  So, they should no longer think of each other as competitors, but as co-members of a new creation. Hence, Paul insists that the Corinthians stop living just for themselves, stop judging each other “according to the flesh.”

Gospel exegesis:  The objective: Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ wondrous works helps him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic identity.  Throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus works miracles as a sign of head-on engagement with the forces of sin and evil in this world.  In the miracle stories, Jesus’ unequivocal triumph over these forces verifies His true nature – Son of God as well as Son of Man – and reveals His true identity as the Messiah of God without claiming the Name, yet.  The miracle of the stilling of the sea is described in Mark for the same purpose.  By describing this miracle, Mark also assures the first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them.  Mark’s audience in Rome in the 60s A.D. surely felt swept by uncontrolible storms as they faced the persecution by the Emperor Nero during which both Peter and Paul were probably martyred.  Mark presents the person of Jesus as in control of the forces of chaos, and hence able to still the storms which threaten to overturn the community of the Church.

The context: As the sun is setting, Jesus ends a long day of teaching the crowd, saying to the apostles, “Let us cross to the other side,” (of the Sea of Galilee), in order that they might begin the next day’s work on the opposite shore.  In this week’s text, the crossing of the stormy sea lies between Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and first experience among the Gentiles.  The story thus occurs at a point of change and challenge in the mission of Jesus and his disciples.  The storm:  The Sea of Galilee is a lake, more than six hundred feet below sea level. It is a lake thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles broad from east to west at its widest. But it is notorious for its sudden storms.  On the west side there are hills with valleys and gullies, and rivers have cut deep ravines through the tablelands down into the sea.  When a cold wind blows from the west, the valleys, gullies and hills act like gigantic funnels compressing the storms and letting them rush down to the lake to create violent waves.  The compressed wind rushes down upon the lake with savage violence and startling suddenness, causing violent, unexpected storms.   The reaction: Despite the fact that many of the disciples are themselves fishermen, and thus, presumably, are familiar with the turbulent moods of the lake, it is they who grow terrified and panicky, while Jesus, the landsman, serenely sleeps in the stern.  Unable to control their fears, the disciples wake Jesus up, accusing him of disregarding their safety.  Jesus’ response is immediate.  On waking, Jesus attends first to the physical danger confronting them, rebuking the wind and commanding the sea, “Peace! Be still!” These are the same words Jesus used to exorcise and banish the demon at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel (1:25).  The words are a direct order, demonstrating Jesus’ power over destructive forces – forces within (1:21-28) and forces outside (4:35-41).  Jesus’ words here result in an instantaneous calm falling over the sea.  This miracle proves that Jesus is master of the natural world, able to control the mysterious, humanly untamable side of creation. The lesson: Only then  does Jesus now turns to his terrified  followers (who had charged Jesus with neglecting them in the storm, abandoning  them to shipwreck and death by drowning, drowning). Understanding all this, Jesus chides  them, asking, “Why are you  terrified? “Do you not yet have Faith?” Mark’s miracle story asks us to consider two questions.  First, “Who IS  Jesus?” (v.41), and  second, “Will you trust this Jesus?”  The disciples fail on both counts on this occasion.  Even though they don’t suspect Jesus’ true identity, they accept Him with joy as their Master, but they are incapable of trusting in Jesus’ love and care for them in situations they themselves cannot control. They panic, overwhelmed by  fear, doubt and insecurity on this stormy voyage.  Jesus stills the storm as if exorcising a demon in much the same way he does in  many of Mark’s miracle stories.  That is the whole point of the story: nothing could harm the disciples while Jesus was with them.  Many people have found great comfort in sensing Jesus’ constant presence in the most difficult and dangerous crises.

The allegoric meaning: Many of the Fathers of the Church consider this miracle story as an allegory of the early Church.  The boat in the stormy lake is a symbol of the Church (Barque of Peter), facing challenges and heresies from inside and various forms of suppression and persecution from outside. The early Church faced fierce persecution in the first three centuries. A calm period followed, but that period was plagued with heresies, culminating in the Protestant Reformation Movement.  The faithful in such situations wondered if Jesus had deserted the Church.  But in their desperate cry for help they were able to experience the inner peace and strength of Jesus.   Very often the Church and the faithful have no control over the political and social developments of our society.  But, no matter what we are experiencing, we can — with the help of Jesus — find peace.  It is the peace which only Jesus can give.  And it is a peace which no person, no thing, and no situation can take away from us.

Life messages: #1: We need to remember that Jesus is always with us in the boat of our life. All of us are making a journey across the sea of time to the shore of eternity.  Hence, it is natural that, occasionally, we all experience different types of violent storms in our lives: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms.  We face storms of sorrow, doubt, anxiety, worry, temptation, and passion.  The storms we encounter in life are often what make us or break us;: either they bring us closer to God and one another or they alienate us from God and others.  And it is only Jesus who can still these storms for us.  Jesus can give us real peace in the storm of sorrow.  When we are totally depressed with sorrow, Jesus assures us of the glory of the life to come.  At the loss of our dear ones, Jesus consoles us with the assurance of eternal life for them in the Heavenly home of God the Father where we, too, will live one day.  When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of our Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us his Divinity and the authority behind the words of the Holy Scripture.  Jesus gives us peace in a tempest of doubt, tension and uncertainty, provided we humbly submit to Jesus’ guidance.  Jesus gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worry about ourselves, about the unknown future, and about those we love.  Jesus calms the storms of passion in people who have hot hearts and blazing tempers. Jesus captains the boat of our soul, not eliminating all storms but seeing to it that we do not sink, if we keep our Faith and persist in calling on God for help.  # 2: “Lord, don’t you care about us?”  Sure, He does!  Is Christ asleep?  We might often be tempted to think so when we sit by, helplessly watching the sufferings of a loved one, or in the face of personal tragedy, or in times of depression or natural disaster.  In such moments we instinctively turn to God, and yet sometimes we don’t find Him or He seems far away, apparently busy with other matters.  But in our Gospel passage today, Jesus does calm the storm. And that’s just it.  Jesus does calm the storm — not all storms forever, but each storm individually at the right moment, just when calming is needed.  In AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, and in all the dependency groups based on the AA Model), there is a slogan which says “Let Go – and Let God.”   It is a marvelously liberating thing to let go, and to let God — to trust God to make things come out right instead of worrying about how we are going to make this happen ourselves, to decide to act in His will instead of worrying about how to do what we want to do, trying to fix everything on our own. Faith in Jesus’ abiding and sustaining presence will remove our unfounded fears and will enable believers to sail through the storms of life while being fishers of people for the sake of the rule of God.

JOKES OF THE WEEK:

1)      “Who is this man?  Even the winds and the sea obey Him! “ Four women were sitting discussing their sons.  The first proudly stated that her son was a bishop, so when he enters a room, people address him as “Your Excellency.”
The second, not to be outdone, said that her son is an archbishop, so when he enters the room, people address him as “Your Grace.”
The third quietly stated that her son was a cardinal, so when he enters the room, the people say: “Your Eminence.”
The fourth woman said: “Well my son is 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 430 pounds, and when he walks into a room people say: “My God!”

2)      The hurricane prayer: A hurricane had struck.  People were huddled together in a Church building for safety.  A preacher was praying with great oratorical effects in the midst of this violent storm, crying out, “Send us the Spirit of the children of Israel, the children of Moses, the children of the Promised land.”  At this, an old man with less oratory but more directness prayed, “Lord, don’t send nobody.  Come Yourself.  This ain’t no time for children.”   

3)      He trusted his wife: A man and his wife were sitting in the living room and he said to her, “Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle.  If that ever happens, just pull the plug.” —  His wife got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all of his beer.

 4) A woman was seated next to a priest on an airplane during storm. The plane was bouncing up and down. The terrified woman said to the priest beside her: “Can’t you do something about this awful storm?” The priest looked at her and said: “I’m in sales, not in Management,” pointing upward with his finger.

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK: (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1)Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies

2) Fr. Don’s collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)

• Brant Pitre’scommentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-B
• Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

 27- Additional anecdotes:

1) Fourteen people in the Rembrandt’s painting of storm in the sea: In the Gardiner Museum in Boston there is a painting by Rembrandt entitled “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” Rembrandt’s interpretation of this scene shows the panic etched on the faces of the disciples, as their small vessel is being raised up on a high wave, about to be crashed down. Two of the disciples are attempting to rouse Jesus who is asleep in the stern of the boat. But if you look more closely, you will discover that there is something that is not quite right. There are too many people in the picture!  So, you count them. There are fourteen. There should only be thirteen (twelve disciples and Jesus). But instead, there are fourteen. It is then that you notice that one of the men in the boat is Rembrandt. — He has painted himself into the picture, placing himself in the same boat. And that is precisely what we should do. This is the way that we are supposed to interpret this passage. We, faithful but frightened, are in the boat with Jesus. There is no immunity for any of us. We are all caught up in the same fix. I suspect most of us would rather be numbered with the exceptions. Either we would like to believe that storms will never strike us or that Faith will never fail us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) A fishing ship in a perfect storm: October 1991, the Andrea Gail, a seventy-two-foot-long fishing boat, with a 365- horsepower turbo-charged diesel engine, left a New England port, headed for the Atlantic Ocean. She was going on what was supposed to be another routine fishing trip. But it was to be her last voyage. Why? Because she ran into the most powerful and dangerous force on earth – a full-blown hurricane on the open seas.

An ocean hurricane is so powerful that the combined nuclear arsenals of the United States and the former Soviet Union do not contain enough energy to keep that hurricane going for one day. One average hurricane encompasses a million cubic miles of atmosphere and could provide all of the electrical power needed by the United States for up to four years. Winds can be so high that when they hit the coast, people have been sandblasted to death. So much rain can fall – up to 5 inches per hour – birds have been known to drown in mid-flight as the water clogs their upward-facing nostrils.

The Andrea Gail had the misfortune of running into, of all things, the storm named Grace. It was a storm so powerful that it had the highest significant wave heights ever measured or calculated from 1899 to 1991. In fact, this storm has been given the nickname “The Perfect Storm.” This storm brought waves ten stories high with pressure of up to six tons per square foot of water. The winds were measured at 120 miles an hour. The Andrea Gail never had a chance because she had encountered the “perfect storm.” — Well 2,000 years ago there occurred in the Sea of Galilee the first “perfect storm.” It was perfect not because it was as violent, but because it was far more important. This storm taught twelve disciples then, and hopefully will teach us today, how to navigate the ship of our life through the stormiest of seas. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Storms of divorce devastating families: Some marriages don’t make it through the storm, and the wreckage can be devastating, especially for women. A recent study showed that women and children experience a 73% decline in their standard of living the year of their divorce. Ironically men’s standard of living increases 42%. Just as important is the fact that more and more couples find that divorce is no real solution to their problems. In her book, Second Chances: Men, Women and Children a Decade after Divorce, Judith Wallerstein writes, “Divorce is deceptive. Legally it is a simple event, but psychologically it is a chain, sometimes a never-ending chain, of events, relocations and radically shifting relationships strung through time.” [Wallerstein’s quote is taken from Patricia Hersch, “Ten Years After: A Sobering Report on Divorce,” Psychology Today (July, 1989), p. 78.] Marriage counselors who, a decade ago, were advising couples to go ahead and part are now recommending couples hang in there, and try to make it through the storm. — Of course, that has been God’s plan all along. Marriage problems are a storm many people are going through. Today’s Gospel tells us that when the storms of life are raging, Jesus does care. When it seems you cannot hold on a moment longer, God does care. When the waters threaten to engulf, He does care. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “Lord, I can do nothing. Will you take care of me?” Do you know how that truth became real to J.C. Penny, the founder of the retail chain that bears his name? In his autobiography, Fifty Years with the Golden Rule, Penny talks about being in a sanitarium one night when he thought he was dying. He wrote several letters and went to bed, fairly certain that he would not be alive the following morning. But he was still alive when morning came.  So he got up and started to walk down the hall. Then he heard people singing: “Be not dismayed whate’er betide. God will take care of you.” A few people were having an early morning prayer meeting, and he slipped in and sat down in the back. Someone read quietly from the Bible, and led a prayer. Before long, Mr. Penny began a spontaneous prayer. He prayed, “Lord, I can do nothing. Will You take care of me?” In the next few moments something did indeed happen to him. In his own words, “It was a miracle.” — What happened was that J.C. Penny had met and surrendered to the One who can calm life’s storms. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) Storms caused by unexpected death of dear ones: What greater storm can we go through than the loss of a loved one? One famous study, called “Broken Heart,” researched the mortality rate of 4,500 widowers within six months of their wives’ deaths. Compared with other men the same age, the widowers had a mortality rate 40 percent higher. In Ernest Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream, an anguished father mourns the loss of his oldest son. The boy has been killed in war. The father is grief-stricken. He will not eat or sleep. He walks alone on the beach for hours. A friend tries to persuade him to leave the beach and begin to come out of his depression. The father says to his friend, “I have been out here all day thinking about him and wanting to have him with me always. I know I have got to let him go. I have got to, but I cannot do it today.”— Some of you can identify with that father’s deep hurt. The loss of a loved one is a dreadful storm. Today’s Gospel tells us that when the storms of life are raging, Jesus does care. When it seems one cannot hold on a moment longer, God does care. When the waters threaten to engulf one, HE  DOES CARE! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “Whenever I see a black storm cloud coming, I fall apart inside.” On May 31, 1985, a tornado system touched down in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. The wind whipped through at 250 miles-per-hour, tossing trees like matchsticks, throwing automobiles into the air, and killing fifteen people in two counties. What should have been a Friday afternoon of relaxation turned into a weekend of horror. The little town of Cooperstown, Pennsylvania, was in the direct path of a twister. A retired woman, Isabella Stewart watched nervously as the low, black clouds blew in. The wind blew furiously. Suddenly a string of oak trees began to topple like dominos. The woman went for her car keys, but the wind was too wild to go outside. In a sheer act of panic, Mrs. Stewart reached for the only tangible means of comfort and order. She grabbed her purse. Then she sat in a chair and waited for the worst to happen. Fortunately, she did not lose her life, although her dog and cat were never seen again. The brief storm was devastating in a region that was already under economic distress. Over ten years later, Mrs. Stewart says, “Whenever I see a black storm cloud coming, I fall apart inside. You can’t know quite how that feels unless you have been through it yourself.” — No wonder that people in the first century identified the unruly powers of nature as demonic! In today’s Gospel,  Jesus dealt with this storm and ended this storm with the same  kind of command he used to force demons to depart from those they had entrapped – “Peace!  Be still!” And the wind and waves obeyed instantly as the demons had done (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) A ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called “Ninety-Three.” It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship’s cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm. — That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the gravest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming, but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy. Unfortunately storms that rage within us like those that batter ourselves and our property, we cannot end by ourselves. It takes the power of God’s love, as revealed in Jesus Christ to end them.  He is our only hope of stilling the tempest that can harm our souls and cripple our lives. That’s what the disciples learned this day on the Sea of Galilee. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Every one of us is gonna get a bad report.” Hamilton Jordan is not involved  in politics. But he has immersed body and soul in the promotion and funding of cancer research. Part of the shift is because he, himself, contracted cancer three separate times before the age of 50. I heard him tell his story in a variety of settings on Thursday. And each time he told it, one line stood out. Concerning what it’s like to hear bad news from somebody with a white coat and a stethoscope, he said: “It’s not that big a deal anymore, given that (sooner or later) every one of us is gonna get a bad report.”  — That truth pretty much puts us in the same boat. That’s life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Alligator in the pond: The Jones family moved to a new house in south Florida near a pond. There were two other houses on the pond, one owned by a doctor. One day, shortly after they moved in, the Jones’ three children went swimming in the pond. Suddenly, out of nowhere a four-hundred-pound alligator appeared. The doctor happened to be out and saw the alligator. He yelled to the children. Two of them heard the cry and headed for shore. The third child, Mike, was under the water using his diving gear to look beneath the surface. The other two children got near the shore, looked back, and saw the alligator bearing down like a torpedo on their brother. One of them started back to warn Mike, but it was too late. The alligator was upon the boy. He was about to swallow him whole, but when the alligator chomped down on the boy’s head, he found the diving gear distasteful and spit him out. Now Mike swam as fast as he could underwater toward the shore. The alligator swam round and round in circles trying to find the boy. When Mike surfaced, the alligator located him and headed toward him again. Mike was about twenty feet from shore when the alligator caught him, this time by the feet. By this time, Mike’s mother, who was on shore, had waded out to where the boy was. She grabbed his extended hands and started to pull. It was a four-hundred-pound alligator pulling in one direction and a one-hundred-pound mother pulling in the other. The flippers on Mike’s feet were distasteful to the alligator which spit them out, releasing the boy. The mother won the tug of war. Today, the only evidence of Mike’s horrifying experience are the scars on his head and feet from the alligator bites and scars on his wrists where his mother’s nails had dug in as she pulled him to safety. – Life had seemed good to the Joneses. The family had moved to a new home. The children went swimming in a pond. Then wham, slam — a monster appeared on the scene! How can this happen? How can life be so good one moment and so filled with horror the next? Yet it happens and we feel that we cannot handle it. Sometimes tragedy strikes suddenly and we feel abandoned and unable to handle what life brings us. God is there, but we do not feel His presence at the time. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Don’t be afraid — I’ve been watching you all the time.” Linda Sledge recalls a day from her childhood that she will never forget. She was playing in the sand of a Hawaiian beach near where she lived, building towers with her red shovel and bucket. She had wandered away from her parents. Suddenly a great wave knocked her off her feet into the ocean. She managed to get up on her feet, but the sand was flowing out from under her feet. Then another wave struck, and she had no footing. She cried out for her parents. All she could see was the vast ocean ahead. She thought she was doomed. Just then two strong arms reached out from behind and pulled her to safety. “Don’t be afraid,” her father said. “I’ve been watching you all the time.” (The Clergy Journal). —  Those are Christ’s words to us. He is not sleeping. He is watching over us. Why are we afraid? Have we no Faith? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “No matter what, son, I’ll always be there for you.” The 1989 Armenian earthquake needed only four minutes to flatten that nation and kill 30,000 people. Moments after that earthquake had stopped, a father raced to an elementary school to save his son. When he arrived, he saw the building had been leveled. Looking at that mass of stones and rubble, his heart sank until he remembered a promise he had made to his little boy, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you.” Driven by that promise, he found the area closest to his son’s room and began to pull back the rocks and dig out the dirt. Other parents arrived and began sobbing for their children. They were saying things like, “It’s too late. You know they’re dead. You can’t help.” Even a police officer encouraged him to give up. But that dad refused. For eight hours, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and then thirty-six hours he dug. His hands were raw, his energy was gone, but he refused to quit. Finally, after thirty-eight gut-wrenching hours, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice. He called out his boy’s name, “Arman! Arman!” A voice answered him saying, “Dad, it’s me!” Then that little boy added priceless words that dad will remember to the day he dies: “Dad, I told the other kids not to worry. I told them if you were alive you would save me, and that when you saved me they would be saved too. Because you promised Dad, ‘No matter what, son, I’ll always be there for you.’” [Jack Canfield and Mark Hanson, Chicken Soup for the Soul, (Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, 1993), pp. 273-274.] — Dear friends, how much more should we remember the promise of Jesus! How much more should we rest in the presence of Jesus dwelling within us, and how much more shall we rely on the power of Jesus knowing when He says we’ll cross over, we will make it to the other side! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) The never-ending fear-complex: Aanko Technologies sells high-end anthrax detectors we can mount next to our home smoke alarms, carbon monoxide sensors, and radon detectors. So, we build Apocalypse Houses, the newest generation of bomb-shelters about which advertisements boast, “your house is designed to still be standing after your neighbors’ homes are in rubble.” So, we purchase an Aerial Egress HOPE (High Office Parachute Escape) to stuff in to our desk drawer. So, we stock up on Nuke Pills, (potassium iodide pills), to boost our chances of surviving radioactive fallout. So, we peruse the fear-factor web sites of saferoom.com,  ProtectiveSuits.com, GammaScout.com, ApprovedGasMasks.com, in our search for a portable safe-haven against a biological, chemical, or nuclear attack. — There’s a big difference between the kind of fear stalking US society (and bolstering the US economy!) and the kind of sensible precautionary tone that used to inform safety-conscious people. What school system doesn’t have a stockpile of emergency supplies? Not gas masks and Geiger-counters, but cases of drinking water, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, extra blankets, and first-aid kits just in case something happens and the school ends up keeping the kids for a few days. The Law follows the dangerous realities of our world: Wear your seat belt or risk a fine if you’re pulled over. Motorcyclists are required to wear helmets, and responsible parents insist their bike-riding, skateboarding, rollerblading kids do the same. And still we worry and look for more and better solutions – What we are really dealing with is the daunting truth that we are  fallible, fragile, fractured human beings, and that we can never be completely in control, completely secure, completely safe in this constantly changing, unfolding, intersecting, spiraling fallen universe. We’re not in charge. You’re not in charge. I’m not in charge. God IS!  In today’s Gospel text, the disciples’ fear of a known danger, the winds and waves, causes them to chide a sleeping Jesus for unconcern and inactivity. But Jesus’ demonstration of unknown Divine power causes them to fear their salvation even more than the storm. God is always in charge!  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “Hurricane party” in the face of a storm named Camille.  In 1969, in Pass Christian, Mississippi, a group of people was preparing to have a “hurricane party” in the face of a storm named Camille. Police chief Jerry Peralta pulled up sometime after dark at the posh Richelieu Apartments. Facing the beach less than 250 feet from the surf, the apartments were directly in the line of danger.  A man with a drink in his hand came out to the second-floor balcony and waved at the police chief. Peralta yelled up, “You all need to clear out of here as quickly as you can. The storm’s getting worse.” But as other party participants joined the man on the balcony, they just laughed at Peralta’s order to leave. “This is my land,” one of them yelled back. “If you want me off, you’ll have to arrest me.”  Peralta didn’t arrest anyone, but he wasn’t able to persuade them to leave either. He wrote down the names of the next of kin of the twenty or so people who gathered there to party through the storm. They laughed as he took their names and information. They had been warned, but they had no intention of leaving.  It was 10:15 p.m. when the front wall of the storm came ashore. Scientists clocked Camille’s wind speed at more than 205 miles-per-hour, the strongest on record and much, much stronger than Hurricane Katrina which would do so much destruction to the Gulf Coast in 2005. Raindrops hit with the force of bullets, and waves off the Gulf Coast crested between twenty-two and twenty-eight feet high.  News reports later showed that the worst damage came at the little settlement of motels, go-go bars, and gambling houses known as Pass Christian, where some twenty people were killed at a hurricane party in the Richelieu Apartments. Nothing was left of that three-story structure but the foundation. Of the two dozen people in the building, only one survived. (1) — Storms come. Sometimes they come suddenly and violently.  Storms come, just as they came to those disciples on the Sea of Galilee.  Here’s what’s frustrating: Sometimes when storms come, it seems as if God is asleep. In our text for today, Christ does stir from his slumber. He rebukes the wind and says to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” And they obey. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “The hailstorm gave ultimate flavor and ultimate crispness to these apples.” Robert A. Schuller tells about a farmer in Washington state who was especially proud of the apples he produced every year, and with good reason. His farm was at a high elevation, and the cold winds that came through there made his apples especially crisp and flavorful. Every year, after he harvested his crop, he would polish those apples until they virtually shone. Then he would put them into beautiful packages to show them off. These weren’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill apples but the kind that made beautiful gifts to send loved ones for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As word of his marvelous apples spread, it got to the point where he was inundated with orders even before he had harvested the fruit.  One year, just before harvest time, a severe hailstorm pummeled his property. When it was all over, there wasn’t a single apple without blemishes on its skin. There was nothing wrong with the apples. They just didn’t look as pretty as they usually did, and the farmer was afraid that the people who had ordered them might be disappointed and ask for their money back.  Then he had an idea. He took all of the apples with the little blemishes on the outside and wrapped every one of them the same way he did every year. He put them in the same kind of packages. Then he added a note. It read: “Notice these high-quality apples. This year represents the finest crop. You can see the blemishes caused by the hailstorm, which created the extreme cold giving the ultimate flavor and ultimate crispness to these apples.”  Well, not a single order was returned! In fact, just the opposite happened. The following year when his orders started coming in, he had many requests from people who wanted to make sure they got the apples with the blemishes this year, too!  [Dump Your Hang-ups (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1993).]  — That’s the way it works for people of Faith. We don’t escape the blemishes. We wear them proudly, for we could not be who we are today without the growth that those blemishes brought with them.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “Reach inside there and tell me what you feel.” Some years ago, the late, great Norman Vincent Peale (died December 24, 1993), visited Europe. In Belgium he went to what used to be a Nazi prison camp, between Antwerp and Brussels. His guide that day told him that he remembered the morning when the Nazis arrested his own father. They brought him to this very camp and shot him. Dr. Peale asked the guide, “How did those prisoners stand up against the awesome fear that must have haunted this place day and night?” The guide replied, “They had a secret.” The guide took Dr. Peale to a small cell far back in a corner where there was just a little slit in a stone wall. “Now,” said the guide, “reach inside there and tell me what you feel.” Dr. Peale reached inside and said, “I feel a stone statue, the facial features of a statue.” The guide said, “What you are feeling is the face of a statue of our Savior Jesus Christ. Those men and women in the darkest hours of their hopelessness would come here and put their hands on His holy and loving face. It was this that sustained them and gave them victory over their fears.” — Victory over fear belongs to those who through Faith can almost touch the face of Christ, those who trust in his promise: “Lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “He told me to come and get you!” Karen Fair tells about her three-year-old daughter, Abby, who was having trouble sleeping through the night. She kept waking up because she was afraid. Each time Karen tucked her into bed again, she would remind her that Jesus was with her and that He would keep her safe. The sleepless nights continued, with Abby seeking comfort in her parents’ bedroom. Finally, one night Karen asked her daughter if she had prayed for Jesus to take her fear away and help her fall asleep. “Oh yes,” Abby assured her. “He told me to come and get you!” (1) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) “I have seen the face of the Captain, and he smiled at me.” Robert Louis Stevenson delighted in this story of a ship tossed in a storm. The sea was rough and the rocky coast perilous. Danger was real and dread expectancy active among the seamen. One frantic sailor who was laboring below the water line could contain himself no longer. He rushed to the control room, closed the door behind himself, and stood frozen in fright watching the captain wrestle with the controls of the huge ship. Skill of mind and strength of hand enabled the captain to guide the vessel through the threatening rocks into open water. The Captain turned slightly, looked at the frightened sailor, and smiled. The youth returned below deck and assured the crew all danger was over. When they inquired how he knew, he answered, “I have seen the face of the Captain, and he smiled at me.”  — If you will only, in the words of the hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” When you know Who is in control there is no fear. [Nelson L. Price, Farewell to Fear (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1983), pg. 28.} (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18)  The Karate Kid: One of my favorite movies is The Karate Kid.  It is about a teenager who feels alone and unprotected in the hostile environment of his school and community.  He is scared – unable to defend himself against the hoodlums of his neighborhood.  It happens that the lad, whose name is Daniel, meets an old man, Mr. Meogi, who has a black belt in Karate.  The old man agrees that he will teach him what he knows so that Daniel can protect himself.  On the first day of his lessons the old man asks Daniel to wax and polish several old cars that he owns – wax on – wax off.  All day the lad labors to follow these instructions – Wax on – Wax off.  On the second day the old man asks the boy to paint his fence — paint up – paint down.  Again it takes all day.  On the third day the master asked him to sand the wooden floor of his verandah – in a circular fashion – and again it takes all day.  At the end of the third day the boy is very angry. “I’ve done all this work for you,” he says, “and you still haven’t taught me anything to defend myself.”  At this point the master tells Daniel to stand in front of him and do the motion for wax on – wax off.  As he does this, the master tries to hit him – but his blows are deflected by the boy’s arms.  The boy’s work for Mr. Meogi – his obedience – has made him ready for his first lesson in how to face danger.  It has prepared him for the lessons, and the dangers, to follow. — In the course of our lives there are many things that arise and frighten us.  There are giants who are hostile to us and all that we hold dear. There are storms that threaten to overwhelm us.  Today’s Gospel about Jesus’ calming the storm reminds us that a firm conviction of the living presence of Jesus in our lives and a dynamic relationship with him by prayer – listening to Him and talking to Him – will save us from the unexpected storms of our lives. (Rev. Richard Fairchild). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19)  The eagle and the storm: Do you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?  The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.  When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.  While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.  The eagle does not escape the storm.  It simply uses the storm to lift it higher.  It rises on the winds that bring the storm. — When the storms of life come upon us, and all of us will experience them , we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief on God.  The storms do not have to overcome us.  We can allow God’s power to lift us above them.  God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives.  We can soar above the storm.  We need to remember that it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, but how we handle them.  The Bible says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles” (Is 40:31). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) The storms of life and Forrest Gump: I wonder if you have seen the film Forrest Gump. It’s a wonderful film about a young man with learning difficulties who happens to be a really profound and wise man. And Forrest Gump has some great catchphrases, the most famous of which, of course is “Mama always used to say. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.’” — And there is real truth in that, isn’t there? Life is unpredictable; we can’t know what surprises lie in store for us from day to day, sometimes even from hour to hour. Good things in life take us by surprise and we celebrate those moments. But, sadly, negative and difficult times creep up on us and make a negative impact on our lives when we least expect them. There are times in our lives when we feel at the mercy of the storm, when we feel as if our lives are as chaotic as the buffeting ocean. Perhaps there is a financial crisis, an illness, a bereavement, or the breakdown of a relationship. And we pray and pray and pray but sometimes it as if Jesus is asleep. He doesn’t hear, no matter how loud we shout. But we need to keep calling on the Lord in our most difficult times. Because, in our persistence, we believe that the Lord does hear us and will rebuke the storms, and the chaos of our lives will be stilled. The words of God to us in Isaiah 43 are so beautiful. He promises: “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) “I am an utter craven coward”: During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, “Sir, I am not a brave man. . . The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.” Years later, when Patton’s autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: “I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears.” — Today’s Gospel describes how the experienced fishermen disciples of Jesus were paralyzed by their fear of the storm in the sea and called out to Jesus for help. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) “I say my prayers when it’s calm”:  There is a story of about a captain who in his retirement skippered a boat taking day trippers to Shetland Islands. On one trip the boat was full of young people. They laughed at the old captain when they saw him saying a prayer before sailing out, because the day was fine and the sea was calm. However, they weren’t long at sea when a storm suddenly blew up and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer. But he replied, “I say my prayers when it’s calm. When it’s rough I attend to my ship.” — There is here a lesson for us. If we cannot and will not seek God in quiet moments of our lives, we are not likely to find him when trouble strikes. But if we learn to seek him in quiet moments, then most certainly we will find him when the going gets rough. (Flor McCarthy, in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) Storm that created Amazing Grace: John Newton was the son of an English sea captain. When John was ten his mother died and he went to sea with his father. The boy learnt the sea backward and forward. At 17 he rebelled against his father, left the ship, and began living a wild life. Eventually John took a job on a cargo ship that carried slaves from Africa to America. He was promoted rapidly and soon became captain of the ship. Newton never thought to ask whether slave trade was right or wrong; he just did it. It was an effective way to make money. Then one night, a violent storm blew up at sea. The waves grew to the size of mountains. They picked up Newton’s ship and threw it around like a toy. Everyone on board was filled with panic. That prompted  Newton to do something he hadn’t done since his leaving his father’s ship. He prayed. Shouting at the top of his voice, he said, “God, if only you save us, I promise to be your slave forever.” God heard his prayer and the ship survived. When Newton reached land, he kept his promise and quit the slave trade. Later he studied for ministry and was ordained pastor of a small church in Olney, England. In that church he won fame as a preacher and as a composer of hymns. One of the most moving hymns that Newton wrote is the one in which Newton praises God for the gift of conversion, Amazing Grace. The words read: “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound,/that saved a wretch like me!/ I once was lost but now I am found / Was blind, but now I see…”  (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Why Worry? When Bulstrode Whitelock was about to embark as Cromwell’s envoy to Sweden in 1655, he was much disturbed in mind as he rested in Harwich on the preceding night, which was very stormy, while he reflected on the distracted state of the nation. It happened that a confidential servant slept in an adjacent bed, who finding that his master could not sleep said: “Pray, sir, will you give me leave to ask you a question?” “Certainly,” replied Whitelock. “Pray, sir, don’t you think God governed the world very well before you came into it?” “Undoubtedly!” “And pray, sir, don’t you think he can take care of it while you are in it?” — To this question Whitelock had nothing to reply, but turning about, soon fell asleep. (Anthony  Castle in Quotes and Anecdotes; quoted by Fr.      Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) He is always with us and for us: A young Indian boy approached manhood and, as the custom with his tribe, he had to undergo several tests to prove his bravery, before acceptance into the fighting braves of the tribe. He was brought out into the middle of a jungle and left there alone all night. He was terrified. Every leaf that fell, every branch that creaked, every movement in the underground caused his heart to pound. He never knew a night could be so long. On several occasions, he would have run away, but where does one run in a jungle in the middle of the night? After what seemed an eternity, the light of dawn began to filter through the trees. In a relatively short time, his eyes got used to the growing light, and soon he was able to see clearly. He moved from where he was and as he approached the nearest tree, he was amazed to find his father standing there with a gun. He had stood there on guard all night long. The young lad’s instant response was to think, “If I had known that my father was watching over me like that, I would have slept soundly all night.” — When you die, you will discover that your Father was standing guard there all the time. (Jack McArdle in And That’s the Gospel Truth!) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) A Golden Labrador, came lumbering toward us.  Some years ago, I was out walking with a friend when a large dog, a Golden Labrador, came lumbering toward us. I had grown up with dogs and thus could tell the difference between a dog moving aggressively and one approaching benignly seeking merely to establish contact. But my friend had not grown up with dogs and in fact had been bitten by one as a youngster. Each of us looked at the dog approaching us. We saw the same scene but reacted to it very differently. My friend was afraid, while I was delighted. He reacted angrily and defensively. I put my hand out and greeted the dog, patting it on the head and letting it smell my hand. With my experience, I was able to bring peace to the situation. An agitated reaction might well have provoked the dog to turn aggressive. — And so, we see something similar here in the boat. Jesus is able to sleep peacefully in the storm, but the disciples are panicked. Jesus knows His Father; He also knows the end of the story. Do we? Have we not read that for those who love and trust in the Lord all things work together for good? (cf. Rom 8:28) — Why are we so afraid? Storms will come and storms will go, but if we love God we will be saved, even if we die in this mortal world. If  we have His peace, we, too, will calm storms. Peaceful people have that effect on others around them. But we cannot give what we do not have. Let us, then, ask the Lord for a heart that is at peace, not just for our own sake but for that of others. Because He IS peace, Jesus is always at peace, and can always rebuke any storm. How about that! (Msgr. Clarke Pope). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 27) Fearless Supreme Commander: Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. After the surrender of Japan, he had total control of that country until 1951. [The story: In 1950, MacArthur had successfully led the United Nations Forces in the recapture of the US-held Southern sector of Korea (up to the 38^th parallel) from the invading armies of Russian-held, and now Communist, North Korea (north of the 38^th  parallel to the Chinese border).   Mac Arthur was convinced that the conquest could only be completed if his troops were allowed to drive the invading forces back across the border into China and so control all of Korea, destroying the  Korean Peoples Army (KPA) entirely. The Joint Chiefs of Staff disagreed, but MacArthur went ahead with his plan. The Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, then President Harry S Truman, relieved Macarthur of all  military command and offered his return to the Unites States, April 11, 1951

Winner of the prestigious Medal of Honor for his services during World War II, McArthur was also the most decorated US soldier in World War I. During World War I, he was the Chief of Staff of the “Rainbow Division” in France, where he fought the Germans. One day while the Americans and the Germans at firing at each other using machine guns, McArthur came out of his trench with a binocular to watch the movement of the Germans. Immediately a captain ran to him and said, “Sir, it is very dangerous to stand here. Bullets are coming from all over the place.” “Yes, yes,” replied McArthur. “Return to your trench immediately. This is a command.” McArthur was an exceptionally courageous soldier. That was why even bullets flew all around him he was able to stand there and guide his army. — None of us may have the courage of General McArthur. In fact, most of us may not need the kind of courage that he had in his life. However, all of us, without exception, need a lot of courage to face all our daily challenges in life. When the disciples of Jesus were in the middle of a storm, they were terrified. They woke up Jesus, who was with them in the boat, and asked, “Do you not care that we are perishing?” Of course, Jesus cared. He immediately rebuked the wind and the sea, and the storm disappeared. Then Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have Faith?” If we happen to be in the middle of a storm – a crisis in life or a severe problem – we should not be terrified. Instead, we should put our faith in the Lord and face our crisis or challenge courageously. Then we will be like General McArthur in battle. (Fr. Jose P CMI) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 38) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or  Fr. Tony for my website version. (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website– http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507