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Today’s reading falls on a very important day. Many of us in the United States will spend today celebrating the father figures in our lives. But here at CMMB, we will also join our global community in recognizing World Refugee Day. With this in mind, we dedicate this reflection to all the father figures around the world, but especially those who forge ahead through uncertainty, fear, and displacement to protect the people they love.

In last week’s reading, Jesus used the parable of the mustard seed to describe the Kingdom of God. Our reading today, immediately follows this moment of teaching and chronicles the first of four miracles we will read about in this section of Mark’s Gospel.

Jesus invites his disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee by boat. Suddenly, while crossing, they come upon a violent storm. The disciples are frightened but Jesus remains unfazed. In fact, according to our passage, Jesus sleeps as the storm rages on.

Based on the disciples’ actions that follow, it is clear that Jesus’ lack of urgency frustrates them.

They woke him and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus awoke to his disciples’ pleas and commanded the storm to stop—and it did. Turning to his disciples, he asked, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

This is a pivotal moment for the disciples as they begin to question the identity of the man before them—a human who commands miracles as God. But it also serves as a powerful reminder that in fear we can turn to faith.

It’s fair to say that Syria’s ongoing refugee crisis is among the greatest storms of our time. In its 11th year, the crisis has resulted in over six million Syrian refugees. For so many Syrians losing the place they call home is only one part of this puzzle—many now also live without access to health care, education, and economic opportunities. This reality is one of the many reasons CMMB’s Medical Donations Program is proud to partner with the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees (MFA)—the nation’s leading interfaith response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Thanks to our partnership, we’ve reached Syrian refugees and internally displaced people with the medical resources they desperately need. One of these individuals is Kamel Yousef Hemedi.

CMMB and MFA reached Kamel with lifesaving medications following a devastating cancer diagnosis. Despite the challenges he faced, Kamel forged ahead with one goal in mind—to be there for his son. On this Father’s Day and World Refugee day, we celebrate Kamel and encourage you to learn more about his story in our latest video.

 

Like our Gospel reading, his story serves a reminder that in fear, Jesus invites us to turn to faith.

In grace and peace,

CMMB

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*Portions of today’s reflection were adapted from and inspired by the Loyola Press Sunday Connection.