Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012812.cfm

How the mighty are  fallen.

They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, 
and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"


From the Book of  Psalms

Psalm 37.7:Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. 
Psalm 39.2:I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse,
Psalm 46.10:‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations,   I am exalted in the earth.’

The Teacher may have addressed his word to the wind and sea but it certainly fell upon the disciples as well: 

They were filled with great awe....

Or as we used to say in Kentucky, "Well shut my mouth and call me Silent." 


During the Sabbath rest of the weekend it is good to practice silence. Let my opinions cease their clamor for a while. Let me cease worrying and watch in wonder as the panorama of life flows before my eyes. 


That behavior might serve us well, too, as we hear today's story of David and the prophet Nathan. Surely some will object to an innocent child's fatal illness because of his father's reprehensible sin. Is God so malignant that he punishes the innocent for the sins of the wicked? 
Lord, let my judgment of your ways be still. Let me abide in your presence confident of your mercy for the unborn and the new born, for the innocent and the helpless. 
On Monday we will hear that Bathsheba's child died despite the anxious prayers of his parents. It was a hard lesson for David, one which he did not forget as the madman Shimei rained curses, dirt and rocks upon him. He wisely declared:

Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to.
Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day."