2nd Passiontide
 |
| Ivan Aivasovsky, Wikicommons |
John 6: 16 -
26
When evening
came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set
off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet come
to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had
rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat,
walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I AM,
have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat, immediately
the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.
The next day
the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only
one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples,
but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near
the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they
got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
When they
found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did
you come here?"
Jesus
answered, “Amen, amen, the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because
you saw signs of spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were
satisfied.
2nd Passiontide
March 6, 2016
John 6: 16 -
26
 |
| Ivan Aivasovsky, Wikicommons |
This gospel
reading has something of the quality of a dream. It is night; the disciples are
in a boat, working hard to make headway in rough seas. Suddenly they see
Christ. He appears as if walking, a shining form above the waters. They shrink
with fear, but he calms them with the assurance of his very being – it is I. And
when they take him in, they are suddenly at their destination.
Our lives
too are sometimes beset with darkness and rough passages. It is just at those
times when Christ can make his ever-presence known to us. He assures us that
fear is to be dispelled, because he is the Guide on our journey. With his aid,
we will reach our goal of firm grounding.
Not only is
he our guide for the way; he is also our bread for the way. Just as after a
night on the sea of dreams, we come to the daytime shore refreshed, so too does
Christ nourish our spirits. He gives us life and strength. We come to him
trusting that we will survive with him, even in the darkest hours. Perhaps,
like Rilke, we can even learn to love them. He says,
*Ranier Maria Rilke in Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, trans. by Anita Barrows
and Joanna Macy
I
love the dark hours of my being.
My
mind deepens into them.
There
I can find, as in old letters,
the
days of my life, already lived,
and
held like a legend, and understood.
Then
the knowing comes: I can open
to
another life that's wide and timeless.*
