First Reading: 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13
Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-23
The prophet Isaiah is one of the most powerful characters in the Old Testament. He was a passionate follower of Yahweh and yearned for the chosen people of God to be faithful to Yahweh the one true God. In his time Ahab was the King of Israel and was married to the well known Jezebel. Jezebel believed in Baal and she tried everything in her power to make the Hebrews turn away from God to follow Baal. She instituted many prophets of this false god, four hundred and fifty to be exact. But there was one man who stood in her way and this was Elijah. She had threatened to kill him and Elijah became afraid, went into the desert and lay down on the sand to die. However when all seemed lost, God came to his aid. Elijah heard God's voice in silence as we read in the first reading of today from the first book of Kings. Elijah's mission was not easy. He was the only person to stand up for Yahweh in the whole land. His mission seemed impossible yet even at the moment of despair Elijah found hope because of God.
In today's gospel, Peter was also asked to do something that humanly speaking was impossible to achieve. Jesus asked him to walk on the water to come to him. This is an unreasonable request, something that goes against every law of nature. As long as Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus he walked on the water. It is when he started to doubt, when he started to get afraid and stopped concentrating on Jesus that he started to sink. However, even at the very moment when everything seemed lost Peter cried to Jesus for help and was saved. "Man of little faith why did you doubt." (Mt 14:32) Do you think that I will leave you when you need me most.
It is certain that at some time in our lives we will be invited by Jesus to do something that seems humanly impossible to achieve. Everyone will at some time be faced with very trying circumstances, with very difficult decisions, with very great sorrow and with very hard temptations. Very often, what Jesus asks us to do makes no sense humanly speaking and seems to be beyond any logic or reasoning. Jesus is asking us to be like Him so that we can do the same works that He did and even greater works (Jn 14:12)
Our lives present us with many challenges that by ourselves we cannot cope and where we need the constant healing touch of our God. We may be in a position of responsibility and we are asked to do a favour by our friends or by your boss which will cause hardship and injustice to others. This can mean a promotion for us yet at the same time Jesus is saying that we need to follow what is true and what is just. What are we to do, who are we going to listen to? Are we going to have enough courage to walk on the water of justice rather than of self interest? We might be people who travel quite a bit because of our work. We might be having marital problems or tensions and on one occasion while we are away we meet someone who is very attractive and inviting. We might easily reason that nobody will ever know about this if we take it further. Or are we ready to walk on the water of fidelity. How many people do we know who have been abandoned by their loved ones or who have made big and serious mistakes. Are we going to despair and end it all or are we prepared to walk on the water of trust. Challenges never cease and very often what sustains us and see us through these challenges is our personal relationship with this God who is passionately in love with us. We are all called at some stage to walk on very troubled waters and it is only our trust in Jesus Christ that will see us through to the safety of the shore.
How do we develop this relationship with Jesus Christ? How do we mature in trust of our God? In the northern parts of Scotland, lived a sea captain who used to take tourists around the different islands in that part of the world. One day there was a group of rather young travellers. They were full of life, keen for adventure and nothing seemed to worry or bother them. When the boat left the safe haven of the harbour, the captain made a little prayer. One of the travellers noticed what the captain was doing and pointed this out to the others. They started to laugh and make fun of the captain because after all the sea was calm and there was no sense of panic or lack of security. However, when the boat was a fair distance from the shore, a gale wind started to blow. The sea started to get rough and the boat started to pitch violently. The people became terrified and at one stage went to the captain to lead them in a prayer for safety. However, the captain replied, "I say my prayers when the situation is calm, tranquil and serene. When the seas start to get rough I attend to the ship, I concentrate on what I am supposed to do and I will not get distracted by what is going on around me."
This is a good lesson for us. If we are not used to be with our God when things are going relatively well and calm in our lives, the chances are that we are not going to find Him when trouble starts. It is more likely that we panic and become agitated making our situation worse. On the other hand, when we give time to our God during the times of calmness in our lives, there is more chance of being aware of his saving presence when we find ourselves in difficulties. This in turn will lead us to hope and perseverance. We are called to be faithful to the way of living that God proposes to us at every stage of our lives. Faithfulness to God's way of acting and thinking enables us to confront any waters that we might need to walk on. Going our own way will make it very hard to reach safety and peace.
God Bless
Bishop Joe Grech
