19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
1Kings19:9a, 11-13a Rom. 9:1-5 Mat. 14:22-33
Theme: “Courage! Do not be Afraid”
The three readings we have today present an image of God that is very encouraging and overwhelming. An image that we all as children of God will be proud to always associate with. A God that is very close to us and is willing to come to our assistance at any time we call upon him. He never refuses to help us whenever we call out to him in our time of needs and difficulties. Sometimes, the challenge we have is that we are fixated on how we expect him to respond to our requests. The first reading is saying a lot to us in this regard. The Lord was not in the wind, he was not in the earthquake, neither was he in the fire. He was rather in a still voice. This goes to show us that the way God operates is different from our human ways. Thus, confirming the saying that the way of God is different from our way. God comes to us sometimes in the most unexpected ways, but we must be attentive to him for us to recognise him like the prophet Elijah did in today’s first reading.
In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we see the challenges that are faced by true disciples. St. Paul is worried about the attitude of most Jews in relation to the gospel of Christ. Like a true disciple will do, he is worried about them because of their attitude. This shows that St. Paul cares for the people. This brings us to a very important question that we need to answer as individuals, do you consider other people in your actions, or it is always about you? The action of St. Paul invites us to embrace this practice in our daily lives and make our world a better place. The world, in which we live, needs selfless men and women to make it a better place. Self-centredness is selfish and can be very destructive. Always remember that selflessness attracts the blessings of God to all those who strive to practice it.
In the gospel reading, we see the scenario between Jesus and Peter. This encounter has a lot to teach us as followers of Christ. In view of this, I would like to point out three important points from the gospel. The first, Jesus took time out and went to the hill to pray. This shows that as children of God we must strive to find time for prayer in our daily lives. It is important and a necessity in our lives. Second, is the faith of Peter that prompted him to walk to Jesus. It takes a lot of courage to do it. Faith in God is a necessity in our lives and relationship with God. We must continue to work and pray for increase in faith. Lastly is fear and doubt. When we give room either of them or both, we are bound to get into difficulties. This is exactly what happened to Peter, and he started to sink until he called out to Jesus, “Lord save me”. Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt? “There will be moments of storms and difficulties in our lives. In such times, have faith and trust in God, he will never allow you to ‘drown’. God is faithful! May he grant us increase in faith as we journey in the world of uncertainties, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you!