In the Gospel we just heard, that last line contains a question which is meant for us to answer, it said, “They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”” Who then is this…? Well, the answer that the Church gives us through the other readings is clear: this is God. Only God can control the wind and the sea, therefore Jesus is God.
In the Gospel of Mark, we don't have many parables, nothing like the Gospel of Matthew, there are just a few here in Mark chapter 4 and another one in Mark 12. So, I just want to dive into these, starting with the parable about the seeds.
The first reading from Genesis makes me think about freedom. We all like to be free to do what we want, but with freedom comes responsibility. I like to drive but with a driver’s license comes the right to drive within certain guidelines. There are speed limits, rules of the road, stop signs, stop lights, roundabouts and right of ways that we need to know and obey. When we drive too fast we can be stopped and get a ticket for speeding and have a fine to pay. We have to be alert to situations where another driver may be distracted and fail to stop. Through no fault of our own we can be hit by another driver or even a deer or another creature. We may find it very important to have insurance. If we are not obeying the rules of the road, we will have our driver’s license taken away and be forbidden to drive. We then lose our freedom and have to depend on our two feet, a bicycle, a friend to give us a ride or public transportation, taxi or Uber.
Today we celebrate “The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ,” better known as Corpus Christi. The Body and Blood of Jesus, the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it’s one of my favorite subjects to talk about, it’s the primary reason I became a Catholic priest.