Jesus says to the disciples:

"Why are you afraid, little faith ones?" 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

２Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17

So Yahweh sent the prophet

Nathan went to the king and said to him, “There were two men in a city: one was rich; the other, poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb he had bought.

He himself fed it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and slept on his lap. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but he would not take from is own flock or herd to prepare food for the traveler. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”

David was furious because of this man and told Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves death! He must return the lamb fourfold for acting like this and showing no compassion.”

Nathan said to David, “You are this man! It is Yahweh, God of Israel, who speaks: ‘I anointed you king over Israel and saved you from Saul’s hands. Now the sword will never be far from your family because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself.

Thus says Yahweh: Your misfortune will rise from your own house! I will take your wives from you and give them to your neighbor who shall lie with them in broad daylight. What you did was done secretly, but what I do will be done before Israel in broad daylight.”

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against .” Nathan answered him, “Yahweh has forgiven your sin; you shall not die. However, because you have dared to despise Yahweh by doing such a thing, the child that is born to yous shall die.”

Then Nathan went to his home. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill. David entreated God for the child. He kept a strict fast and lay on the groung the whole night. The elders of his house asked him to rise from the ground but he refused, Nor did he join them to eat.

 

Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 4:35-41

On that same day when eve­ning had come, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.”   So they left the crowd and took him away in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him.   Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale.

The waves spilled over into the boat so that it was soon filled with water.   And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

They woke him up and said, “Master, don’t you care if we sink?”   As Jesus awoke, he rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped and there was a great calm.   Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?” But they were terrified and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

 

Speaking Truth to Power

Nathan is a prophet much needed for our times-one who can nonchalantly speak truth to the powers that are, within and outside the Church, be it about state-sponsored terrorism, rejection of immigrants, climate change, gender violence, sexual abuse, or clericalism.

When nationwide peaceful protests arose in a country when its government ventured to pass a law that was clearly discriminatory, a citizen-religious I know felt troubled by the silence of the Church in that country and wrote to a church official about it.

But the official’s reply was an appeal to prudence as the Church was an easy target for the government that has already initiated financial investigations and income tax notices against ecclesial institutions…..Sadly, we would rather risk the sheep to preserve our institutions and finances! We need Nathans who speak truth to power.