Episode Overview

Theme:
This episode of the Catholic Bible Study podcast from the Augustine Institute centers on Mark’s Gospel and the recurring theme of "Faith, Not Fear." The host offers in-depth scriptural analysis, inviting listeners to personally encounter the biblical stories—particularly Mark 4:35 onward—by drawing connections to sacred art, Catholic liturgy, and their own lives. Central to the discussion are the episodes where Jesus calms the storm, heals the hemorrhaging woman, and raises Jairus’s daughter, all set in contrast to Jesus’ reception in Nazareth. The episode explores the layers of faith, fear, and the importance of trusting Jesus amidst life’s storms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

Dramatic Setting and Mark’s Detail

• The host sets the scene on the Sea of Galilee, emphasizing Mark’s narrative detail: “Notice the waves aren't beating against the boat, they're beating into the boat. That's how big these waves are.” (01:02)
• Mark alone mentions Jesus “asleep on the cushion,” tying it back to Peter’s personal recollection and the storytelling tradition: “I'm sure Andrew couldn't use Peter's cushion, right? ... But the Lord uses Peter's cushion, right? So just a little detail that I reflect on...” (03:00)

Disciples' Anxiety & Jesus' Reaction

• The disciples frantically wake Jesus: “They come and they wake him up and they say, don't you care if we perish? That's a rude awakening.” (04:08)
• Jesus responds by calming the storm and asking, “Why are you afraid? Do you not have faith?” (05:10)

Reflection with Rembrandt’s Painting

• The episode draws from Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee”: disciples near Jesus are calm, those farther are panicked.
  • Memorable observation: “The further away you get from Jesus, and the more you look away from Jesus, the more strenuous, panicked and uncomfortable things are for those disciples.” (06:10)
  • Notable family moment: A disciple vomiting over the boat’s edge is “my son's favorite depiction.” (06:55)

Personal Application

• “Where are you in the storm? Are you calmly sitting next to Jesus and trusting? Or are you like Peter and Andrew, stretched out, fighting the storm, trying to control your life...?” (08:07)

Didactic Use of Sacred Art

• The host describes how Rembrandt painted himself in the boat, looking out at the viewer:
  • “Rembrandt is the one figure, the one character who's looking out at you and me... and he's saying, all right, where are you in the storm?” (10:10)
• Encourages listeners to “put yourself as we read these stories, not to just read them for head knowledge, but to meditate and to imagine the scene...” (11:33)

Memorable Quote:
"Fear, not faith. Jesus says to them, why are you afraid? Have you no faith? And they were filled with awe, which actually means great terror and fear, and said to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (13:10)

2. The Healing of the Hemorrhaging Woman & Jairus’s Daughter (Mark 5:21-43)

Two Interwoven Stories

• Introduction of Jairus, pleading for his daughter’s healing: “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live.” (14:48)
• Interrupted by the woman suffering for twelve years, who seeks healing by touching Jesus’ garment:
  “For she said, if I touch even his garments, I shall be made well... which literally means to make well, but also means to be saved.” (15:57)

Artistic & Liturgical Symbolism

• The catacomb fresco of the woman touching Jesus becomes a major catechetical image:
  • “If you want to touch Jesus today, you can touch him in the liturgy and in the sacraments. Jesus is once again present in the Eucharist especially, but in all the sacraments.” (17:22)

Modern Depiction & Power in Faith

• New artwork in Magdala Center: “All you see is the feet of Jesus in his robe and his sandals. And this woman is reaching out and touching the very hem of his garment... there's a little bit of light coming out to show the power that comes forth from Jesus.” (18:25)
• Key distinction: While many pressed around Jesus, only one touched with faith.
  “Peter's like, are you kidding me? Who hasn't touched you? … but only one touched him with faith.” (20:48)

Application to the Sacraments

• "Many people go to Mass, many people receive Jesus in the Eucharist, many people receive the sacraments... But the grace of that sacrament will only bear fruit according to the disposition of the one who receives." (22:00)
• Challenge: "Have you touched Jesus like she did?" (23:23)

Memorable Quote:
"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in shalom, go in peace, and be healed of your disease." (24:13)

Interruption and Trust

• While Jesus delays, Jairus receives tragic news: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the rabbi any further?” (25:53)
• Jesus' response: “Do not fear, only believe.” (26:08)
• Host underscores: “Faith, not fear. Fear crowds out faith. Faith, conversely, taps down and controls fear.” (26:54)

Raising Jairus’s Daughter & Emotional Resonance

• Jesus speaks Aramaic: “Talitha kumi—Little girl, I say to you, arise.” (28:29)
• Emphasis on personal encounter: “He brings them in with him... his heart for this couple who've just lost their daughter...” (28:42)
• Parallels the woman’s twelve years of suffering and the girl’s age.

3. Rejection at Nazareth (Mark 6:1-6)

Contrast between Faith and Unbelief

• In Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, skepticism blocks his miracles:
  • “When we approach God with cynicism and doubt and skepticism, we hamstring God's power. We limit what God can do in our lives, in our family, in our church.” (30:24)
  • Key point: “Unbelief... that's the one block.” (30:55)

Clarification on "Brothers" of Jesus

• Explanation that the Greek adelfoi means "kin," not literal siblings, and why that matters for Catholic doctrine. (31:32)

Closing Reflection

• Summarizes Mark’s central invitation: “Repent, which means have your mind transformed and believe. Trust in the Gospel. And that's the question for us. Are we going to trust in the storms...?” (32:10)
• Call to action: “Faith will eclipse our fears and give us the trust and the peace we need to follow Jesus faithfully.” (32:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The more we fight the storm, oftentimes the further away we are from Jesus.” (07:50)
• “Rembrandt is the one figure... who's looking out at you and me. Everybody else is looking at Jesus ... and he's saying, all right, where are you in the storm?” (10:10)
• “If you want the power of Jesus to flow out into your life and into your heart, you have to receive him with faith.” (22:40)
• “Do not fear, only believe.” (26:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:04 – 06:10 — Setting the Stage: Mark’s Narrative Style & Jesus Calms the Storm
• 06:10 – 11:33 — Rembrandt’s ‘Storm on the Sea of Galilee’ and Personal Application
• 13:10 — “Fear, not faith” and Scriptural Meditation
• 14:48 – 24:13 — Jairus’s Plea, The Hemorrhaging Woman, and Power of Faith
• 24:13 – 28:29 — Jesus Raises Jairus’s Daughter: “Talitha kumi”
• 30:24 – 31:32 — Rejection at Nazareth and the Block of Unbelief
• 32:10 – End — Closing Reflection: Faith, Not Fear

Conclusion

This rich episode uses vivid scriptural storytelling, sacred art, and Catholic sacramental theology to illuminate Mark’s powerful message: that authentic faith in Jesus, not fear or skepticism, brings peace and opens our lives to God’s miraculous work. Listeners are encouraged to see themselves in the Gospel scenes, to bring imagination and heart into Bible study, and to approach Jesus—especially in the sacraments—with the faith and trust necessary for true spiritual transformation.