Homily

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

The Scripture readings for this week speak of God's saving presence for his people and the need for trusting faith in a loving God who always cares about us. The first reading tells us how Elijah the prophet defeated the 450 false priests of Baal with trusting faith in the power of Yahweh, and later, how he lost that faith and took to flight when his life was in danger. It is similar to what happened to Peter in today’s gospel passage.

Background: St. Matthew recorded his Gospel after St. Peter was crucified and when Christians were being persecuted. The storm stories address issues of danger, fear and faith.  In both stories, the boat seems to represent the Church, buffeted by temptations, trials and persecutions. The recounting of this episode probably brought great comfort to the early Christians, especially those of St. Matthew’s faith community. For it offered them the assurance that they need not fear because Jesus was present with them in the midst of persecution and that Christ would save them even if they had to die for their faith in him.

The story: In today’s gospel episode we see that Peter is a stand-in for every follower of Jesus. Or perhaps better said, Peter sinks the way many of sink at one time or another. We know the name Peter means “rock”. And we see that he sank like one. As storm rises, Peter is caught between faith and doubt. He trusts and then fears. He walks and sinks. This is what makes him a stand-in for us when in our own lives we waver between fear and faith. 

When did Peter begin to sink? First, looking at Jesus, he had great confidence. The once he gets frightened by the waves and takes his eyes off Jesus and fears the waves, that is when he begins to sink. Peter represents all who believe that Jesus is Savior, take their first steps in the confidence that he is able to sustain them, and then forget to keep their gaze fixed on him when they face the storms of life. There are times when we endure troubles and manage to float along as though God has given us the ability to walk on water. Yet there are times when troubles get us down and we sink. 

Today’s gospel passage reminds us that when circumstances overwhelm us and troubles weigh us down Jesus offers a steady hand to deliver us. If we have faith, we will hear the assurance of hope in the midst of our difficulties: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."  

Mark Twain recalls a visit to the Holy Land and his stay in Capernaum. It was a moonlit night, so he decided to take his wife on a romantic boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Twain asked a man in a rowboat how much he would charge to take them out on the water. The man saw Twain's white suit, shoes and hat and supposed he was a rich Texan. So he said the cost would be a hundred dollars. Twain walked away as he said, "No wonder Jesus walked on the water."

Messages for life: 1) Call Jesus in the midst of the storms facing our lives. We need to approach Jesus with strong faith in his ability and availability to calm the storms of our lives: storms of sorrow, storms of doubt, tension and uncertainty, storms of anxiety and worries, storms of anger and despair and storms of temptations. 

When Jesus shows up in our life’s storms, he gives us strength to do the seemingly impossible. He makes marriages out of mistakes; he invigorates, restores, and empowers us to reach the unreachable and to cross the un-crossable. 

2) Storms let us know that without him we can do nothing, without him we are doomed to fail. Yet, when Jesus shows up, we gain the strength to join St. Paul, saying, “In Christ I can do all things.” But this demands a personal relationship with God, with Jesus, enhanced through prayer, meditative study of Scripture and active Sacramental life. 

Paradoxically, the storms of life can also be a means of blessing. When things are going badly, our hearts might be more receptive to Jesus. A broken heart is often a door through which Christ can find entry. He still comes to us in the midst of our troubles, saying, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."