Fr. Eugene Lobo SJ –
Nineteenth Sunday of the Year August 13, 2023
1 Kings 19:9.11-13 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:22-33
God’s presence is felt more often in tiny, small ways, not in earth-shattering howling wind or rushing fire or storms. He comes to us in gentle little ways and is there present when we need him the most. He expects from us the openness to call on him for help and he will be there to support and guide us. He wants us to be aware of his voice in our life which often goes unnoticed. Our confidence that Jesus is always there presents extending his guiding and supporting hand builds up our faith. In the Gospel of today Jesus miraculously saves the frightened disciples. They were caught in the midst of a storm and Jesus comes to them walking on water. Peter while walking on the water towards Jesus began to sink and asks his master to save him. Jesus tells him to place his trust in him.
In the first reading of today Elijah is stands at a significant threshold in his career as a prophet. He had been a great prophet. His victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and the execution of four hundred of them, had incurred the wrath of Queen Jezebel. He moves away to Mount Horeb, the Mountain of the Lord and is instructed to await God’s passing before him. The prophet sees or hears three natural dramatic phenomena associated with God’s presence. First there is the driving wind. This is followed by an earthquake. Finally there is a blazing fire. These signs bring to mind the theophany of Sinai in the book of Exodus. But God is not present in any of these. After this came the most ordinary of events namely, a tiny whispering Sound. In this most simple gentle breeze, the prophet discovers God’s presence. Elijah covered his face with his cloak, realizing the divine presence and worshipped him. It was on the mountain of God that Moses interceded for the people, pleading with him for his forgiveness and be present among them.
In the second reading of today Paul enumerates the tremendous privileges enjoyed by his fellow Jews. The very name Israelites recalls their famous father who inherited the promises made to Abraham and Isaac. The first of these privileges is the adoption, by which the Israelites are the children of God. The entire Bible is filled with this idea. Next Paul mentions of the glory of God. God’s splendor of light appeared when God was with his people in a special way. Paul also reminds of the covenant through which God established his friendship with his people. He built this bond through Noah, Abraham and Moses and he gave them the Ten Commandments. Hence they are God’s children, basking in God’s glory, and enjoying the benefits of the covenant and the law. They continue to worship in the Temple. Above all Paul marvels that the Christ is their kinsman. Moreover this kinsman is also their God who is blessed forever. He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
Today’s Gospel passage presents us with two miracles, namely, the episode of Jesus walking on the water and coming to the disciples to save them from the storm and calming the storm. This miracle of Jesus follows immediately after feeding the five thousand and more people in the desert that reconfirms the Christological identity of Jesus. Here Jesus manifests his divine identity by calming the stormy waters just as in the beginning God brought order out of Chaos of the raging waters. This story is the continuation of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and the feeding of thousands of people in the desert. Immediately after the event, we are told that Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go to the opposite shore while he himself would send the crowds away and spend the night in prayer. Certainly there is the implication that the disciples were not too willing to leave the scene. They were enjoying the reflected glory of being part of the miracle worked by Jesus and the enthusiasm of the crowds for Jesus. They were basking in the reputation of being partners with Jesus.
The story now switches back to the disciples. They are far out on the lake by now, battling with a heavy sea and fighting a strong headwind. They are there in the lake without Jesus. It is quite clear that here we are seeing a parable of the Church itself, represented by the disciples in their fragile boat surrounded by hostile winds and waves. It was the common experience of the Church during its first centuries as it is in many parts of the world today. It was a difficult situation filled with much fear and anxiety. Matthew gives us the vivid picture of Jesus walking on water towards the boat containing his struggling disciples in the storm. They do not recognize him. They are terrified and quickly conclude that he is a ghost. Jesus responds to their fear by revealing his identity and telling them not to be afraid. He tells them: “Take courage; it is I; do not be afraid.” As such, there is no need for fear or anxiety in spite of the apparently threatening dangers around them.
Matthew however, uses this story to teach an additional lesson about faith. To do this he relies on some special material about Peter that none of the other Gospels contain. Here we see Peter as the only person to recognize Jesus but then makes the mistake of wanting to prove it. As a proof he wants to walk on water and he gets the invitation from Jesus to do so. Peter makes the further mistake by taking his eyes off Jesus and looking at the storm. Immediately when fear takes over he begins to sink. Jesus rescues him and reprimands him for doubting and for being a person of little faith. Peter’s lack of faith is not connected to his sinking, but his need to walk on the water in the first place. Peter is a mixture of courage and anxiety and here his anxiety dominates. For Matthew and the church, the issue is having the courage to ride the storm out, firmly believing that the Lord is present in the church and will protect it. During the times of trouble believers do not get out of the boat.
Today’s readings tell us that there is never any need for fear and anxiety, for Jesus is always close to us. No matter what may be happening in and around us, his peace is there for us to share. Jesus calls us to reject the ambitions and dreams of the world and separate ourselves from them as the prophet went into the cave or Jesus went into the mountains to pray. We as Christians are called to be not of the world, a counter-witness to its ways, but to be in the world, as taste-giving salt and growth-giving leaven. We have the mission to lead people to that moment when they can recognize the presence of Jesus in us and accept his kingship. One important lesson of today’s readings is that, in our turbulent world Jesus is the source of peace. Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.”
There is something for us to reflect here: Jesus is not in the boat; he is in that hostile environment into which we often fear to enter and instead huddle in the security of our church. It is significant that Jesus is also found outside the boat in the middle of the stormy sea, the world. However, we have to go out there to meet him in spite of the dangers and possible setbacks. Jesus and Peter now step into the boat and the wind drops. There is peace and apparent calm. The great truth is that, wherever Jesus Christ is, the wildest of storms become calm. In Mark’s version of this story, the disciples are simply amazed at the sudden change but do not draw the obvious conclusion. In Matthew’s version, however, they understand and believe. They even anticipate Peter’s later confession, “Truly, you are the Son of God”.
There was a little old lady, who every morning. Stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted: “Praise the Lord!” One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he’d step onto his front porch after her and yell: “There is no Lord!” Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day. One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted: “Praise the Lord! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord! The next morning she stepped onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “Praise the Lord!” She cried out. “He has provided groceries for me.” The atheist neighbour jumped out of the hedges and shouted: “There is no Lord. I bought those groceries.” The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: “Praise the Lord! He has provided me with groceries and made the devil pay for them.
“There was once a wise woman travelling in the mountains who found a precious stone in a stream. She took it and placed it in her little bag along with the other personal items. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and she opened her bag to share her food with him. This hungry traveler saw the precious stone in her bag and asked her if she might give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune for having secured an expensive precious stone. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But soon he discovered that he was unable to sleep for fear that someone may rob the stone. He did not know where to hide it and spend a few sleepless nights. Then he came back to the wise woman after a few days and returned the precious stone to her and said: ‘I’ve been thinking and I know how valuable the stone is; but I’m giving it back in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. I want you to give me that strength and grace you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone without hesitation.’ “