The Storm of Sin and the Peace of Mercy

Voice over by Gracie Aye Chan May

2Sam 12:1-7a.10-17, Psalm: 50, Mk 4:35-41

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our lives can often feel like two different seas: one churned by the storms of our own making—our sins, our failings, our regrets—and another, more frightening sea, of circumstances beyond our control. Today, on the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, the great apostle to the young, the Word of God speaks directly to both conditions, revealing a single solution: the courageous mercy that confronts our sin, and the divine authority that calms our fears.

In the First Reading, the prophet Nathan confronts King David with a parable after his grievous sins of adultery and murder. David, blinded by his own guilt, fails to see himself in the story until Nathan’s piercing declaration: “You are the man!” Nathan speaks a hard truth, announcing consequences, but he does so as an agent of God’s justice and mercy. The confrontation is an act of love, meant to break through David’s self-deception and lead him to repentance. It is a storm of truth that must be weathered for the soul to find calm.

In the Gospel, the disciples face a different storm—a violent squall on the sea. They are overcome with terror, while Jesus sleeps peacefully in the stern. In their panic, they cry out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He rebukes the wind and the sea, commanding, “Quiet! Be still!” And there is a great calm. Then He asks them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” Jesus reveals His absolute authority over the chaotic forces that threaten to overwhelm us.

These two readings are beautifully connected by the heart of Saint John Bosco. He understood that every person, especially the young, faces both kinds of storms: the interior storm of sin, confusion, and neglect, and the exterior storms of poverty, hardship, and danger. His method, the “Preventive System,” was one of merciful presence and gentle correction. Like Nathan, he had the courage to correct, but always with a father’s heart, seeking to save, not condemn. Like Christ in the boat, he sought to be a calming, trustworthy presence in the turbulent lives of his boys, teaching them to have faith in God’s goodness.

For us, the message is clear. First, we must have the courage of Nathan in our own lives. We must allow the Holy Spirit to speak truth to us, to help us see our sins, so we can repent and receive God’s mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Second, we must have the faith of the disciples, not in its absence, but in its growth. When the storms of life rage—illness, loss, anxiety—we must cry out to the Lord who seems to be sleeping. We must trust that He has authority over every chaos, and that His final word to our storms is “Peace. Be still.”

St. John Bosco once said, “It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved.” In this, he captures God’s heart. God loves us enough to confront our sin, and He loves us enough to calm our fears. Let us trust in that love today. Let us bring the storm of our conscience and the storm of our circumstances to Him, and find our rest in His merciful peace. Amen.

May God bless you all!