Trusting faith
August 13
First Reading (1Kings 19. 9, 11 – 13)
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 85)
Second Reading (Romans 9. 1 – 5)
Gospel (Matthew 14: 22 – 33)
The Lord wanted Elijah to search for Him in new ways. Yahweh had been revealing Himself in
the past through the earthquake, storm, fire and so on. But now He revealed Himself to Elijah in
the gentle breeze, which means, in stillness and silence of life situation. Look at our Christians.
People who went out of Catholic Church in search of God in different new methods, as
Pentecostals, and other denominational faithful, now they are stuck there. They hold to their
conventional ways and cling on to them. This is why they too cannot find God and His miracles.
Very few who go on searching for God and His miracles as a nonstop endeavour, get the
miraculous blessings.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges Peter with a very similar command. “Come!” And Peter,
acting on the word of his Master, walks on the waters. As he walks towards Jesus, a wind blows
which first makes Peter’s heart sink and, within no time, he himself is sinking. Peter, in his precarious plight, prays: “Lord,, save me.” This is one of the most hilariously spectacular scripture scenes. What is impressive
externally only serves to highlight and intensify an equally amazing and joyful interior adventure:
the recognition of Jesus by the disciples as the Son of God and their instant and spontaneous
adoration of Him as the Son of God. It was a tremendous transition, a breath-taking step, similar
to the ‘Let go’ and ‘Come’ of the above anecdote.
At the beginning of today’s Gospel, for the disciples Jesus is a ‘ghost’ but at its close He is the
‘Son of God’. This is not an easy transition; it is a dramatic and spiritual adventure, a revolution
of the spirit.
God comes to us and speaks to us in the silence of our hearts. He also comes to address His word
to us in the events of life. Either way He invites us, “Come.” But how often do we launch out
like Peter? And even if we timidly launch out, we lose heart at the first sting of pain, at the first
instance of struggle. And we begin to question and doubt, waver and sink.
Happy are we if , in such moments, we too, like Peter, turn to the Lord in prayer. The Lord will
surely reach out to us reassuringly, extending His hands for us to lean on and reach the safe and
secure harbor of deepened faith and heart-felt adoration. Till we reach that stage, the Lord has to
confront us with: “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” and challenge us: “Come.”
Years ago, the English steamer Stella was wrecked on a rocky coast. Twelve women were put in
a lifeboat, but the unruly sea immediately carried it away. Having no oars, they were at the mercy
of the winds and waves, and they spent a fearful night being tossed about by the raging tempest.
They probably would have lost hope if it had not been for the spiritual stamina of one woman,
Margaret Williams, who was well known for her work in oratories. Calmly she prayed aloud for
divine protection.
Then, urging her companions to put their trust in the Lord, she encouraged them by singing hymns
of comfort and trust. Through the dark night her voice rang out across the waters.
Early the next morning, a small craft came searching for survivors. The man at the helm would
have missed the women in the fog if he had not heard Miss Williams singing this selection from
Elijah, “Oh, rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him!”
Steering in the direction of her strong voice, he soon spotted the drifting lifeboat. While many
others were lost that night, those trusting few were rescued.
Jesus, may I trust You through thick and thin and joyfully abandon myself into Your loving
hands. Amen.
By searching God does not mean just to pray, to attend Mass, or receive sacraments. It is simply
and fervently holding on to our faith in God and through and with Jesus we continue our ordinary
duties in the situations that God has placed us. We go on telling Him, “I will not let you go, nor
let me go, where shall we go Lord? You have the words of eternal life.” Like Paul we can
negotiate with Him and cut a deal for His miracles. Read what Paul writes in his letter.”I could
wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people.” Paul
dares to sacrifice his own faith and blessings as a ransom for bringing his people to Christ.
Amazing deal indeed comes out of Paul’s heart! We indeed have abundant resource of miracles,
within our territory. We need to make the best use of it.
God bless.