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Nineteenth Sunday in OT A20261 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Rom 9:1-5; Mat 14:22-33 In the Gospel of this morning our Lord rescues the frightened disciples whose boat was about to sink because of the storm on the sea. The storm on the sea is the symbol of challenges, hardships and difficulties of life. We often find ourselves struggling and unable to cope with the negative events happening to us. At such moments, we are afraid; we pray and cry out to God. This is the situation in which the disciples found themselves. This dramatic scene reminds us that even though we may seem getting nowhere and are overwhelmed, we will be safe if we do not lose our faith in Jesus. The Jesus portrayed in this scene is the incarnation of the saving God of the Exodus. This is clearly attested from the words our Lord uses: ‘It is I; do not be afraid’. ‘It is I’ is the translation of the divine name, Yahweh. What happened to Peter shows us that in spite of difficult times, we can make it with our Lord. In spite of the threat of sinking, Peter left the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water. He knows that he can do so, however, only if invited by Jesus, and so he cries out: ‘If it is you, tell me to come to you across the water’. Our Lord’s response is so simple, trusting and encouraging. He simply says: ‘Come’. On Jesus’ invitation, Peter leaves the boat. However, instead of keeping his heart and his eyes on Jesus, he notices the danger around him and loses heart. Then, he started sinking. At that moment, what does he do? In his distress, he cries to the Lord and immediately Jesus reaches out and holds him. By doing so, our Lord is reminding us that whatever might be the challenges of life, he is always with us. Because our Lord is ever present, we understand why he reproaches Peter for having doubted while he was walking on the waters toward him. This reproach means that the most difficult thing in our life is not the events we are going through or the problems we are confronted with, but rather our trust in our Lord that even in this difficult time, he has not abandoned us. That is why faith is less about the existence of God or the belief that he has created the world than trusting in him, in spite of negative things happening to us. It is for that reason that our Lord calls Peter as someone having little faith, because he doubted that he would save him and his companions. This episode reminds that even if Peter was surrounded by the waves and the boat was about to sink, nothing bad would happen to him and his friends, because our Lord is greater than the forces and the phenomena of nature. Our Lord is the calmer of the storms of life. The problem, however, is that when we are overwhelmed by the storms of life, we are often blinded by our pain and suffering that we forget to open our eyes to look at our Lord coming to us. Because our Lord is a comforting presence and a calmer of the dangers surrounding us, we should always have him at our side. He knows when to intervene and rescue us. When we are overwhelmed by countless problems, let us call upon him. May he bring us his peace! Amen. |
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