today's readings are Job 38: 1-11; Psalm 107; 2 Cor. 5:14-17 and Mark 4: 35-41
Being in control. Wanting to be in control. A lot of people want to be in control. Including me.
Our desire to be in control starts when we are children – thinking that that people are there for the sole purpose of meeting our needs. As we grow older, we learn that this is not true. But that doesn’t stop us from trying to set up things so that our own desires are met.
Thus, we spend an inordinate amount of time planning and planning, so things are under control. At times, we may even try to manipulate others to get our way. Like using angry outbursts to control family members. Or publicly putting down others who present a different way of dealing with a difficult situation.
Trying to always be in control is even extended to trying to control God. I remember Fr. Brian sharing a story many years ago about a parishioner who told him she prayed to God that her sister be cured from cancer. But her sister died. That lady was upset, feeling like God had let her down. And to show God that He had let her down, she stopped coming to Mass.
Her desire to be in control, to have her own way, was manifested in a passive-aggressive way by not going to church. It was like she was saying, “Okay God, if you won’t answer my prayers, why should I worship you?”
The reality is that we can’t control God, and often can't control others. In fact, life teaches us again and again that we are not in control.
For example, when we experience unemployment, financial difficulty, loss of a loved one, a broken friendship, household disputes between teens and parents – we learn we are not in control – or when severe health issues, whether your own or a loved one intrudes into our lives; or when we are uprooted by a transfer, we see that no, we are not in control.
Is it possible for us to overcome this constant drive to need to be in control? Can the Word of God we heard proclaimed today help us with this issue? The answer to that is yes.
Our first reading is from the Book of Job in the Old Testament. At this point in the story, God is a bit frustrated with Job and his friends who are so limited in their understanding of His ways.
God says to Job, “I am the one who set boundaries around the sea. Don’t you think you can put your trust in Me?” The message? Trust in God. Let go and let God. Now there’s an idea.
In our Gospel, the disciples are being tossed about in the boat as a storm bears down on them. Waves crash over the side. The boat is sinking. But Jesus is with them. They wake him up, and Jesus calms the storm.
One might think that a takeaway from this story is that if we are holy enough or if we say the right kinds of prayers, that Jesus will always calm the storms of our lives. To which Jesus says, "The answer to that is no".
If this were so, then God would be a thing we could control whenever we have a bad day. “God, make it all go away.”
God rarely addresses our desire for things to change each time we call on Him in prayer. But He does desire to create a fundamental change in the way we view the reality of our lives - an ability to see the bigger picture; to see the world as God sees it.
Life unfolds. Hours turn into days and days into years. We ponder the universe and our place in it. Our faith in Jesus helps us to see what we otherwise would not be able to see. Like seeing that even in the most difficult times of your lives when you are overwhelmed by your fears and insecurities about the many things you can’t control, there is one constant. God is there with you. And you are loved by God. So, set aside your inner control freak, and trust in Him. Let go and let God.
Letting go. I am having a hard time letting go of this parish. It has been 12 fascinating years, my dear people. So much has happened. Some things have been constant during these years – like the grace and presence of God in the life of our parish. Another constant has been your witness to the faith that I have seen so many times. Another is your constant support and prayers for me. The welcome you gave me upon my return to the parish where I first started. The support of the various initiatives we undertook. Again and again, you answered the call – such as responding to my call for volunteers during the Covid shutdown; your support for these renovations; your support for our youth ministry and St. Vincent de Paul and the various ministries, organizations and activities of the parish; your financial support of the Family of Faith Campaign back in 2015; the warm atmosphere you created during masses that visitors would always comment on to me. You answered the call. You witnessed to our faith. Thank you. Bless you. It has been pure privilege to be here. How I will miss you.