NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

1Kings 19:9, 11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33

I believe that our national hero is Dr. Jose Rizal. I believe that the President of the Philippines is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. I believe that Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutierrez is the Local ordinary of the Diocese of Marbel, Koronadal City, South Cotabato. I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead. I believe in Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. In each of these sentences that I just uttered a while ago, I used the word “I believe.” I know that first four ‘I believes’ has the same connotation because, intellectually, I know them. It is a fact. It is really existed and a reality. “I believe in Jesus Christ,’ is something different. In this type of belief I am going beyond the use of intellect. Now I am making an act of religious faith. I am committing myself to a Person who is Jesus Christ and giving myself to Him. I trust myself to a certain person.

Let me give an example to this kind of belief. A baby, sleeping in his mother’s arms, believes in his mother. He does not need any proof that his mother is good and kind and strong enough to support him. He just believes… and so he sleeps peacefully in that faith. This, though not strictly speaking, a religious faith, leads on to what I am talking about.

Today’s gospel relates about our Lord walking on the water. Some writers kidded that Jesus did this because, being a poor man, he could not afford the fixed fare imposed on travelers by sea by the profit-hungered owner of the boats. When Jesus was walking on the Sea of Galilee, His disciples thought that He was a ghost so they were afraid. Peter recognized Him. St. Peter was asking the Lord when he saw Jesus walking on the water that he could also walk and Jesus responded immediately by granting his request. May be Peter was too emotional or impulsive or he just wanted to show to his co-disciples that he can walk on water too and that he is the greatest among them. But Jesus interpreted the even in a different way. He wanted to test the faith of Peter, how big and how deep it is and Peter did not pass the test, he failed. But in spite of this, Jesus still accepted him and did not reject him.

As one priest said in his homily, that Peter was very human just like many of us. We too want to see signs and miracles. We take pains to travel to places where miracles reportedly happened. We flock to that place.

But while St. Peter was walking on the water, he felt that the wind is so strong and he is afraid. He asked the Lord to help him and the Lord did not hesitate to help and then the Lord said to him: “Oh, man of little faith.”

This gospel has something to do with faith that focuses on Jesus. But Peter’s faith in today’s gospel is in crisis and our faith too. St. Peter’s faith as well as ours may have been strong from the start; we are so very enthusiastic and eager to live it, but as doubts, difficulties in life, trials and troubles set it, we waver our faith.

How to make our faith focus on Jesus?

First, our attachment to Jesus must be unequalled. We must not love our fathers and mothers or brothers and sisters and children more than Him. Sometimes in our lives, those people who are closed to us could be our obstacles in serving God. I know of a wife when she was still single, she was so active in church activities. But when she got married, hoping that she became more active together with her husband, she was wronged. Her husband became an obstacle to her relationship with God. Sometimes, even going to Mass on Sundays can be the cause of their quarrel. Her husband was selfish I think. He wanted that the time of his wife should be devoted to him alone. I could say he was selfish. I am hoping that each one of us should not be an obstacle for others in serving the Lord. Rather, let us make ourselves instruments of others in serving Him.

Second, we must have a life of intimacy with Jesus. In other, words to be always close to Him at all times.

In the gospel of St. Matthew (5:3-11), Jesus presents to us a kind of teaching which we call beatitudes. It presents to us a kind of life that we will have later in our lives. But Satan has also his own beatitudes. The following lines are:

Blessed are they who are tired and busy to go to Church on Sundays for they are my best workers;

Blessed are they who are bored with the ministers’ mannerisms and mistakes, for they get nothing out of the sermon;

Blessed are they who gossip, for they cause strife and divisions that please me;

Blessed are they who are easily offended, for they soon get angry and quit;

Blessed are they who do not give their offerings to carry on God’s work, for they are my best helpers;

Blessed are they who profess to love God but hate their own brothers, for they will be with me forever;

Blessed are the troublemakers, for they shall be called the children of the devil

Blessed is he who has no time to pray, for that person shall be easy prey.

Others could be: we must have a life of unity with other. We must formed a one family with God as father (Matt 6:9); In the community that we live, we must be brothers and sisters and disciples of the one teacher, heart of the disciples (matt 4:23-24); we must be watchful of our hearts because the evil comes there; our hearts should be compassionate (Luke 6:36); we must have courage; our supreme law is love of God and neighbor and must be shown in service; we should not be boastful servants; obedience to the will of God and imitate Jesus Christ.

Are we acting also like that of Peter? Is it not true that when everything is going well for us, we forget God? We don’t go to mass anymore and pray? But when some problems arise: a grave illness that strikes us, the sudden death of a love one or a calamity like earthquake, typhoon and others, then we get scared and we turn to God.

But my dear friends let us remember, as long as we make Christ as our vision, our point of arrival and the center of our lives – we can survive, everything is in normal. We believe that when big storms come on our way, God is always there to help and rescue us. We have to trust Him.

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• See Today’s Readings:  Cycle A
• See Homily Option
• See  Other Homily Sources