today's other readings are Amos 3: 1-8, 11-12 and Psalm 5
As Pat Marrin of NCR points out: "The Sea of Galilee plays such a prominent role in all of the Gospels, it is almost like a character in itself, interacting with Jesus and serving as a major backdrop for his teaching. Today’s story of the calming of the storm at sea appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and other scenes of fishing miracles, walking on water and frequent crossings also occur in the St. John's Gospel".
Crossing bodies of water is a frequent event in the Bible. For example, the crossing of the Red Sea in the Exodus, the crossing of the Jordan River when the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua entered the Promised Land. Water is a symbol of death and resurrection, as seen in the story of the prophet Jonah and the baptisms done by the Baptist at the Jordan River. Jesus fulfills these sacred stories by his death and resurrection.
In our gospel the boat that the Apostles finds themselves in has been swamped to the point of sinking, and it seems as though their prayers had gone unanswered as Jesus slept. yes He was present, but it seemed like he was not there. But His falling asleep was to prepare them for the many challenges they would face in the coming years when they were entrusted with building the early Church community. They would have to trust in Him then, just as they would would have to trust in Him in that boat ride.
The lesson of these memories was that Jesus would never abandon them. Nor will abandon us when our lives are filled with various crises.
P.S. I will be away from this Wednesday through next Monday. My reflections will resume next week. Until then, God bless you!