Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - B - June 20, 2021
Water is a powerful symbol of death. Think of the times you panicked in water or dreamed of drowning. Those fears should impress the primordial fear that engulfs all humanity about water. That is the same fear the disciples felt the moment they lost control sailing the Sea of Galilee.
FIRST READING The book of Job tried to answer the lifelong question: Why do bad things happen to good people? The answer to the question lay in a greater realization: God, not us, is in control. He controls the power of nature, like the flow of rain and the web of the seas.
PSALM Psalm 107 was a thanksgiving song for a life saved.
SECOND READING In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul looked at the life of Jesus in two ways: 1) forward from his birth to death and resurrection, 2) retrospectively from his resurrection to his life on earth. In both views, we are changed as he changed. We are new creations because we partake in his resurrection.
GOSPEL Mark wrote about the calming of the storm to impress one point upon his readers. Through Christ, God is in control, even in times of great danger.
DAILY READINGS for Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time.
CHILDREN'S READING In the story for the first reading, Fred found out his best friend Johnny was moving away. He found that things do change, sometimes for the worse, but sometimes for the better. In the story for the gospel, Zoe soon realized her perfect summer day was ruined by the weather, something she has no control over. Only God can control the weather. Jesus porved that in the gospel.
FAMILY ACTIVITY Bless God for the gift of life-giving water. Have family members share in that prayer.