Sunday 13th August 2023 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Kings 19:9,11-13/ Psalm 84(85)/ Romans 9:1-5/ Matthew 14:22-33

On the parish website and newsletter there is an image of a sailing boat on the sea. It represents the church sailing through the rough waters of life in this world. As an Island community we can relate to this image. There is a significant local fishing industry and over the years we have seen how the perils of working or seeking recreation on the sea can quickly turn to disaster. The image reminds us that we are at the mercy of outside influences, things that we have little or no control over. Sometimes we must batten down the hatches and ride out the storm.

The gospel this week has Jesus again revealing his divine nature hidden behind his humanity. Last week we had the account of the Transfiguration when Jesus revealed something of his heavenly glory, this week he displays the mastery he has over the physical world he created. Everything in creation obeys the laws of physics because that is how it was made to function. God is not bound by or limited by his own creation and can therefore walk on water, change water into wine, heal the sick, bring the dead back to life and forgive the offences perpetrated against him through sin. Through these actions Jesus reveals that, although truly human, he is also God and all of creation is subject to him. The miracles Jesus performed are there as signs to us to have faith in him, to follow him and, yes, to step out of the relative safety of the boat and walk on water with him.

With faith we can do anything, or rather Jesus can do anything through us. When we first appreciate our faith, we can be like Peter and achieve great things, walking on water. But as happened with Peter, when we try to rely on ourselves, start to doubt our faith, and the ability of God to do all things, we begin to sink and risk drowning in the waters of doubt. When Peter walked on the water he was initially totally focused on Jesus and his call to join him. While his focus remained clear Peter walked on the water but as he felt the wind and the waves and realized what he was doing his focus moved from Jesus onto himself. Becoming aware of what he was doing Peter began to doubt and started to sink. When we start to rely on ourselves rather than God we will start to sink. It is only through God that we can defy the winds and waves of everyday life and stay on top of things. When we become self-reliant thinking that we are in control we can become overwhelmed by the challenges of life and risk drowning in the storms that surround us.

It is not easy to remain focused on God when the world encourages us to be self-reliant, to reach for as much as we can, value the passing things of the world rather than the lasting things of heaven. We know that humanity occupies a tiny window of time considering the immense time scale of creation. That window will eventually close regardless of what humanity does to prevent it. We might be able to extend that window to a small degree, and we can certainly shorten it if we continue to live without caring for our environment. The world today is reminding us that creation is finite and changing, all that we know now will come to an end. Our faith tells us that faith, hope, and love will last and come with us from this world into eternity.

How do we remain focused on God with all the distractions we have around us? Where can God be found? What did Jesus do? In the gospel today we hear that Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray. This is what we need to do. To take ourselves away from the busyness of the world and let God speak to us in the quietness of our souls. We will not hear God in the mighty winds of modern life, in the earthquakes of technology, or the fire of industry and commerce, we will hear him in the gentle breeze of silence. This is where we can hear God calling us to trust in him and step out of the boat and walk to him. This is where we hear God’s voice saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ When we fail and start to sink God will put out his hand and save us.

We need to recapture the awe and amazement that the disciples experienced when they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water. Amid the winds and waves of life we must listen for Jesus calling to us to take courage and not be afraid, knowing that when we fail he will reach out to us and save us. We must take ourselves often out of the hurly-burly of everyday life to listen to God talking to us in the quietness of our souls.

God Bless Brendan.