Gospel (Mk 4,35-41) - On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples: "Let us cross over to the other shore." And having sent the crowd away, they took him with them, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. There was a great windstorm and the waves were pouring into the boat, so much so that it was now full. He was in the stern, on the pillow, and sleeping. Then they woke him up and said to him, "Master, don't you care that we are lost?" He woke up, threatened the wind and said to the sea: "Shut up, calm down!". The wind stopped and there was a great calm. Then he said to them: «Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?". And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

"Do you not care that we are lost?" It is certainly a cry of desperation, but it also expresses the trust they have in that master. It is easy to see in that cry the countless cries that rise from this world of ours tossed by waves of all kinds that put men and women in danger, especially in the poorest countries, such as those torn apart by wars and conflicts. We too can think that Jesus is sleeping given that the events of the world continue to the point of risking even greater tragedies. The Gospel wants to tell us that Jesus does not abandon us and is still beside us, even when we are in the storm. Of course, we can think that he is sleeping. We would certainly like a life without storms, without problems, without any fear. But life is also a struggle against evil, against the storms that want to prevent us from reaching the shore of peace. That sleep indicates Jesus' full trust in the Father: he knows that the Father never abandons anyone. Rather, he awaits our prayer, our cry for help. Prayer starts from a cry for help, even a personal one, but not only. There is a ministry of intercession that we must rediscover: Christians are called to pray for everyone. At the cry of the disciples, Jesus wakes up, stands upright on the boat, threatens the wind and the stormy sea. And immediately the wind stops and becomes calm. God defeats the hostile powers that do not allow the crossing, that is, that prevent one from reaching the shores of brotherhood, justice and peace. The episode ends on a singular note. The disciples are overcome with great fear, and they say to each other: "Who then is this?". Mark's text speaks of fear rather than amazement. It is the holy fear of being in the presence of God. Yes, the fear of those who feel small and poor in the face of the savior of life; the fear of those who, weak and sinful, are nevertheless welcomed by the one who surpasses them in love; the fear of not knowing how to take advantage of God's closeness in our everyday lives; the fear of not dispersing the "dream" of a new world that Jesus also began in us and with us. This fear is precisely the sign that makes us understand that we are already on the other shore.