Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 115
Reading 1
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I wait for the Lord;
my soul waits for his word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Witnessing great miracles or having our prayers answered quickly are things that are known to strengthen our faith. Any type of doubts we may have had in the divinity of Jesus Christ or the existence of God usually cannot stand up to scrutiny against things that are beyond Natural Law and can only come from He who is above all things. It is when we face crisis and situations which challenge us over long periods of time where there appears to be no quick answer or response from God are when we are truly tested. It is during these times of trial that our faith is forged and we are strengthened while we have our weaknesses and doubts exposed. Taking note of this we have to understand that the perceptions and understanding that we have of God is limited. What God truly is from His thoughts and substance to His wants and desires cannot be fully understood by us. There will always be something missing. We will never have a complete picture until that wonderful day when we are united with him in the Beatific Vision. Taking this into consideration when some sort of miracle is witnessed or our prayers are answered this incomplete and arguably false perception of God is enforced: the strong, mighty God interceding on our behalf and becoming a massive force in our menial existence. Yes, God is great, but His greatness extends beyond that which we define it as. When we witness God in a dimension in which we usually don’t perceive Him is when our faith weakens and our doubts creep in. This is when crisis becomes a weapon of Satan against a faith foundation which we thought we were so secure in.
God guided the Prophet of Elijah and told him exactly what he had to do. Elijah, through his faith in God, complied and listened to everything He had to say without hesitation. If we were to put ourselves in the same shoes of Elijah would we have done the same? There were times in his ministry where the greatness of God and His limitless power were revealed but there were also times when Elijah was completely alone and destitute. During these times of trial Elijah kept his faith and persevered; knowing that God was with him in these situations as well as when His greatness was revealed. God will reveal Himself when He wants to not when we want Him to. We are not dictators of our relationship with God and we are not dictators of what is going to happen in our lives. We can only surrender all of these things over to God and trust in Him completely. This may be difficult at times but the end result will be better for us all of the time in comparison to when we try to control the outcome of a particular situation.
God is the greatest thing in the universe. That is without a doubt. Unfortunately we in our fallen nature tend to forget that and try to control situations and events that just might be beyond our control. Any time that we actually think that we are in control is when, most likely, we do not have any control yet it is our own free will that tells us otherwise and impedes our relationship with God. Recognizing the true divinity of Jesus Christ and recognizing God as the supreme influence in our lives is the first step in establishing a meaningful relationship with Him. As Christians, we must realize that it is time to give up control of our lives and give it over to God if we are to experience life as God intended us to do. When we dictate the way that God is going to come into our lives or how He is to present Himself is when things can go really wrong. He is more apt to reveal Himself in the smaller, more insignificance things then in the greater things where we expect Him to be. God is in all things because He created all things including us. Looking for Him where we are instead of where we want to be is a way to start to improve our relationship with Him. Truly we have to deflate our ego and stop thinking of ourselves as God or trying to define Him in the first place.
God is so great that when He appears to be small and weak is when He can be at His greatest. That is where the Scandal of the Cross comes into play. The Word becoming flesh brings us an opportunity to witness the Human Jesus and also makes Him easier to approach. We can get personal with Him and are more apt to enter into a relationship with Him. This is how much God loves us: He sent His only son into the world for our salvation. He suffered, died, and was crucified. Here He appeared to be at His weakest but it was where He was at His strongest because through that process and through his sacrifice He conquered everything which opposed Him including death. Following Jesus means that we become benefactors in all that He has to offer because everything that God has done He has done for us.
Trusting in God and believing what Jesus Christ has told us and what He is telling us now strengthens our relationship with him. When we do these things then the only things that can go wrong with that relationship are things that we bring upon ourselves when doubts creep in. We need to be on constant watch in case this happens. As The Apostle Peter warned in his letter:
“Satan is prowling like a roaring lion waiting to devour you.”
Doubt impedes the relationship while familiarity strengthens it. The closer we become to God and the more we trust in Jesus the better off we will be. The relationship will be on solid footing and graces will abound. There is no downside to a strong, solid relationship with God with Jesus Christ as our friend, advocate, and guide.
Deacon Tom
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
How foolish we may appear to be living our lives as Christians. Saint Mother Theresa once wrote about how we should approach acts of kindness and charity. She said, “Do small things with great love.” She then described how these small acts of charity are great to the ones who receive them. They also provide a shared moment and manifestation of Jesus Christ between the two individuals involved: the giver and the receiver. Both are equally important in this expression of love and both people benefit from the exchange. It is from that point that the Kingdom of God is revealed and we become its builders. From these small, simple acts, a mighty foundation is built. Because there was so much concern and so much attention paid to the seemingly smallest and most insignificant parts of God’s Creation, this foundation will never crack and will never fail. That is how much God loves us. It is the small things that enrich relationships and make people feel loved. They come from the heart and are actually more of an expression of the heart than the larger, grander displays of kindness and charity. A single rose gets the point across better than two dozen wrapped in a neat bouquet. Let’s ask ourselves, “Which one would we cherish more from a lover?” Christ is our lover and friend and we are vehicles of His presence through our thoughts and actions. All of this goes against what society encourages us to do. Society would expect us to make large displays of kindness and charity that actually exclude the thoughts and feelings of the individual person. That is why we appear foolish. Yet, we are the wise ones for we are following what Jesus wants.
God appeared to Elijah in a tiny whispering sound. There was no need to show His power and greatness. It is already obvious how powerful and great God is. It is in the personal relationship, strengthen by prayer and intimacy, that God is recognizable. That is what we are encouraged to do. Each person every created and that will be created matters to God. He loves us that much and we must approach all of our relationships the same way. To do this, everything needs to start with an unconditional love that becomes all the more powerful when we express it in everything that we do, beginning with the smallest actions that others may deem as worthless. What is worthless to the world is priceless to God.
Paul speaks of his conscious joining with the Holy Spirit. Many times he expresses joy regarding the love of God but here his heart weeps because there were many who refused to experience what he has experienced: The Divine Love of Jesus Christ. Paul didn’t personally know all the Jewish People who rejected Christ, yet because he was aware that there were many who felt that way, he lamented as if each of those people were an intimate friend. Again, it is all about the individual person and the intimate relationship. This is the key to joy and happiness in this life. Love all and treat all with a deep, personal love that you would have for someone whom we are intimate with. How God wants to be with us, we must be with everyone. Then, through our small actions, God’s greatness will be revealed.
Peter lacked that intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He had not yet achieved it. He was a witness to most of His greatest miracles and, because of this, was ready to do whatever was asked. Yet, when he was truly tested, what he said could not measure up to what he could actually do when requested: that is to walk out to Jesus on the water. It wasn’t until he knew Jesus Christ intimately and personally that his faith would rise to the level of greatness.
We all need to start small approaching Jesus. From there, Jesus wants us to stay small. He wants us to stay small in our acts of kindness and charity. He wants us to know each person we minister to so that we can come to know Him more fully. It is then we will truly be great and will be capable of greater things while still concentrating on the small.
Deacon Tom
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
Many of us think of God and strong and powerful—and God is that. But God also shows Himself to be weak and poor and powerless. Today’s readings show us this God who is so powerful that He can be weak and poor for our sake.
The first reading is from the First Book of Kings and is about the Prophet Elijah—one of the greatest of prophets. There are so many accounts of the strength of this Prophet and yet he relies completely on God. Today this Prophet has fled to the holy mountain, Horeb, which is probably the same as Mount Sinai. This mountain is where the 10 commandments were given to Moses. It is a place of encounter between God and His people.
When we think of the 10 commandments being given, we think of thunder and lightning and enormous displays of strength and might. Today, in the same place, God manifests Himself in a tiny, whispering sound. This is the God who can be all powerful and also be insignificant and weak—all because He loves us just as He loved the Prophet Elijah.
The second reading is from the Letter to the Romans. Here Saint Paul is telling us how he would willingly give up everything for the sake of the salvation of his own people. We are given powerful words: “They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
We are challenged to give our lives for our own people and for all peoples. How much do we love? How much do we care? Has salvation become simply a private possession for me to have—and to ignore all others. No, this cannot be. We must be like Saint Paul and long for the salvation of all other peoples.
The Gospel from Matthew today is the wonderful account of Jesus walking on the water and then inviting Saint Peter—who said that he wanted this gift—so walk with him. Saint Peter panics and lets fear get hold of him. And he sinks. “Do not be afraid.” Pope Saint John Paul II often used those words to encourage others. We also must learn not to be afraid. Our faith will let us do amazing things. The most amazing is simply believing. From that faith, that belief, we are given strength for so many other things. The most important is to love and to serve others with all our strength. We must hear the words of Christ echo within us as we love and serve: Do not be afraid.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
The First Reading, 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, describes the experience of the prophet Elijah when, following his harassment at the hands of Queen Jezebel, he has made a long journey to 'Horeb, the mount of God'. 'Horeb' is an alternative name for Sinai, the place where, generations before, the Israelites had had an experience of God foundational for their existence as a people. On that occasion, while Moses communed with God up on the mountain, the people remained below, witnessing from afar a terrifying manifestation of the divine presence in thunder and lightning, thick cloud and trumpet blast (Exodus 19).
SOUND OF SILENCE
In Elijah’s case, things go differently. As before, there is a mighty wind, an earthquake, and 'fire' (lightning). But the Lord is not 'in' any of these. Instead, after the fire comes 'a sound of sheer silence' (so NSRV; the Hebrew original reads literally: 'a voice of thin silence'). Covering his face (lest he look upon the Lord and die), Elijah goes out to the entrance of the cave, where he is addressed by God and given a new mission.
This is one of the great moments of revelation in the Old Testament. What lifts Elijah out of his depression and renews his vocation is a totally new sense of God. The Lord once manifest in terrifying upheavals of nature is now known in something as subtle and gentle as 'sheer silence,' a silence that somehow has a 'voice'. The Judaeo-Christian mystical tradition has its foundation here.
The Gospel, Matt 14:22-33, follows on directly from the miraculous provision of food for the multitude, as described in last week’s Gospel. Jesus sends his disciples off to cross the lake by boat while he disperses the crowd and goes up the mountain alone to pray. The disciples struggling to make headway in a boat out on the lake are symbolic of the later Church in a situation in which it so often finds itself. In biblical thought wind and water out of control are stock images of chaos and destruction. The scene of the disciples battling a head-wind and heavy seas while Jesus remains apart on the mountain evokes a sense of the Church struggling against forces that threaten to engulf it, keenly sensing all the while the physical absence of its Lord.
'IT IS I'
Eventually, of course, Jesus joins the disciples, walking on the sea – in biblical imagery a prerogative of God (Ps 77:19; Job 9:8; Isa 43:16). The phrase with which he identifies himself, “It is I”, evokes the self-identification of God to Moses at the Burning Bush (Exod 3:13-15). The presence of Jesus ('Emmanuel' [Matt 1:23 and 28:20]) is at one and the same time the saving presence of God.
What prompts Peter’s bid to come to Jesus across the sea? Love, boldness, bravado? Perhaps all three – but also a measure of faith. Faith in Jesus enables Peter, for a time at least, to tread underfoot the watery forces of destruction. But his faith, like that of all disciples in Matthew’s Gospel, is prone to doubt.
Jesus’ gentle word of remonstrance, after he has rescued Peter, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?', addresses all members of the Church. Peter 'models' the mixture of boldness and fear, strength and weakness, characteristic of us all. We can make our own his cry for rescue ('Lord, save me') and feel as he felt the Lord’s strong hand of rescue reaching out to raise us from the deep.
GREAT COMFORT
Members of the Church, especially perhaps at the present time, can take great comfort from this scene. The Gospel recognises that there will be times of stress and danger when faith will be sorely tested and sometimes fail. But this does not mean that 'Emmanuel' is not with us, swift and sure to rescue, when, like Peter, we cry 'Lord, save us'.
As Jesus and Peter get into the boat, the wind subsides and the disciples 'worship' him saying, 'Truly, you are the Son of God'? Like Elijah at Horeb, they have come to a new awareness of God’s saving presence among them. The Gospel suggests that such new awareness can be the outcome of crises in which the Church experiences weakness, failure, and faltering of faith.
The Second Reading, Rom 9:1-5, has no connection with all this but gives important testimony to Paul’s sense of the ancient and abiding privileges of the Jewish people. The last sentence may be one of the rare places in the New Testament when Jesus is described as 'God' (see John 1:1, 18; 20:28; Titus 2:13). More, likely, however, Paul is concluding the list with a traditional doxology.
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