Friday, June 22, 2012

Today’s text

Mark 4:37-40

Then it began to blow a great 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 lost!' And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Quiet now! Be calm!' And the wind dropped, and there followed a great calm. Then he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?'

Reflection

Jesus saw what no eye could see when he stood and looked into the night. He woke from sleep into awareness of the face of the darkness.



I see that face even now, the curve of the cheek, the dark eyes that always see, the countenance unchanged when winds blow and human souls tremble.
Before and just above the bow of the boat hovers the dark face of eternal presence and constant compassion, hovering over the stormy waters, eyes gazing upon the fearful disciples … and me, never turning away.

I see, and the soul grows quiet and calm. Tears come, for I know all I need to know. I, too, see the face of the darkness, the One ever there.

Jesus lived in constant awareness of an eternal face turned ever toward him. He called that face “Father,” for he knew it as gentle and caring, strong and unwavering.

When he laid down in the rocking boat this awareness was the cushion on which he laid his head. He rested in peace, his heart calm because he knew the face does not turn away when he closed his eyes to sleep.

He knew that when he awoke he would open his eyes and look into the face of Eternal Compassion, the Constant Presence who was there waiting for him to begin his day. Each day he gazed into the eyes of Infinite Mercy, eyes that always gazed upon him with unspeakable tenderness.

On this bright and promising morning, I look into those eyes and glimpse the contours of that great and gracious face. It’s invisible to the physical eye. But the imagination of faith has eyes to see the face of the darkness even in impenetrable night when fierce winds blow and human souls tremble.


And in seeing we hear a voice, “Peace, be still,” and we know what we need to know.

Pr. David L. Miller