NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1 Kings 19:9.11-13; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33

(Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah)

When caught in the storms of life, afraid of drowning in our troubles; depressed, and suddenly the Lord is there to calm our fears: “Do not be afraid.” What a joy this might be? The readings this Sunday invite us to reflect on the Lord who saves us in the storms of our life. Both the Book of Kings and St. Matthew’s Gospel recall an appearance of God in natural phenomena. In the first reading from the First Book of Kings, Elijah, threatened by Queen Jezebel, flees to the mountain and hides in a cave, afraid for his life. He is so depressed and dejected that he wants to die.

The Lord, however, calls him to come out so that the Lord may reveal himself to Elijah. Then God reveals himself in the gentle mountain breeze, perceptible only to the attentive listener. He recognizes the voice of Yahweh not in the mighty hurricane, or the earthquake, or the fire, but “in a light, murmuring sound (v.12).” Only after being calmed by the presence of the Lord does Elijah come out of the cave without fear, but hides his face because the Lord is present. In his prayer with the Lord, Elijah receives new instructions for his mission.

In St. Matthew’s Gospel, the apostles see Jesus in command of the laws of nature. After hours of prayer, Jesus walks on the water towards the apostles amidst a storm, which subsides when Jesus reaches the boat. It was early in the morning, and the lake was rough as the disciples battled with the storm. Meanwhile, Jesus was approaching them and appeared through the mist, walking on the lake towards them. The disciples could not recognize him and thought it was a ghost. They were frightened. Jesus took the initiative to reassure them: "Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid!"

Peter, still in doubt, replied: "If it is you, tell me to come to you across the water". Jesus then invites Peter, who begins walking towards him on the water, but when he feels the force of the storm, he is afraid and begins to sink. Jesus had to rescue a drowning Peter. In the second reading, St. Paul affirms in the strongest terms his concern for his fellow Jews. He recalls God’s special favors for the Jewish People and, among all the other signs of God’s special treatment of the Jews, the fact that Christ was born in his earthly life of Jewish stock.

The Gospel passage reminds us of the importance of remaining focused on the Lord, just as Jesus remained close to the Father in his moments of prayer. What is it that happens to Jesus as a result of visiting God on the mountain? Two things happen, both of which comment on Jesus being the Son of God. First of all, when Jesus returns, a storm is underway while the Apostles are at sea. Storms were common on the Sea of Galilee, and the people believed that spirits brought them about. Two miraculous events occur: Jesus walks on water, and Jesus calms the storm. Both of these events led Peter to say to him, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

In Psalm 107 we hear that only God can calm a storm, and in the Book of Job we are told that only God can “tread upon the crests of the sea.” (Job 9:8); so Matthew, the Gospel writer with the greatest command of Biblical knowledge, uses these events to show that Jesus is divine and can conquer the other spirits that may be causing havoc. The second theme, which runs primarily through the Gospel, is one of faith. Peter wanted to be in charge; he was the leader, he was the one who always had the answers, and as the Lord came walking on the water towards him, Peter wanted to lead from the front. When Peter had faith in Jesus, when he didn’t just use his mind to weigh whether it was possible, he was able to walk on the water toward Jesus.

However, feeling the wind brought full realization of what he was doing and knowing he shouldn’t be able to do it, so he lost faith and began to sink. Faith in Jesus often needs to be just like that. We shouldn’t think too much about the ‘impossibilities” but allow ourselves to be open to all possibilities by putting our faith in Jesus. Even when Peter had lost faith and began to sink, Jesus reached out and saved him. So will he do the same for us, if we just let go a little and put our trust in him.

If we do not have eyes for Christ in the middle of the storm, then we have eyes only for the world. Christ wants us to come into communion with Him. Remember how it was at the beginning of the Gospel; Our Lord went into the hills to pray, to be alone with his Father. Indeed, one could say that he was obsessed with the life of prayer and with being with the Father. He then came back to encounter his disciples and to encounter us. Let us have that union with Jesus who is always on our side.