NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME CYCLE A (ENGLISH)
Kings 19:9,11-13a,
Ps.85,Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:22-23
What do
we usually do when we are in a very difficult situation? What would you do if
after your medical check-up, you are diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer? What would
you do if after this Mass, you meet your husband or wife standing right at your
door with all his/her bags packed, and ready to go? What if, as you go on a
date with your beloved this afternoon, he tells you that he is ending the
relationship because he wants to become a priest? Of course, we have a lot of
different reactions to these realities. Today, our Gospel gives us some
practical suggestions on what to do.
The
disciples, after feeding the five thousand went ahead of Jesus to the other
side of the lake. While traveling by boat, a very difficult situation dawned
upon them—they were caught in the middle of tossing waves. During the fourth
watch of the night, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. The disciples
saw Him. “It is a ghost!” they cried,
terrified.
When
confronted by a difficult situation, Practical Suggestion #1 is this, RECOGNIZE THE LORD.
Jesus’
disciples knew it was Him walking towards them, but they were frightened and
they thought He was a ghost. Sometimes, we allow fear to control us. That same
fear hinders us from recognizing the Lord. Other times, our vision of the Lord
is obstructed by Pride, believing that we are the ones solely in control of
everything. For us to recognize the Lord, we must overcome both Fear and Pride.
In doing so, we gain clarity of sight and acceptance of His presence in our
lives.
Further
into our Gospel, it was Peter who got the courage to speak first with these
words, “Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on water!” In this
scenario, Peter thinks before acting. He asks for a command before walking on
water. This is Practical Suggestion #2, THINK
BEFORE YOU ACT.
We call
this Discernment. When we discern, do
not hurry. We must first contemplate on what our choices are, and which among
these would be the best decision to make. Most importantly, discernment is
achieved best when done in an atmosphere of prayer.
The Lord
then replied to Peter, “Come!” The boat here signifies the comfort zone of
the disciples. It is where they felt safe. In our Gospel, however, Jesus was
not inside the boat. He was on the water. Practical Suggestion #3 is to GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES.
In
finding solutions to our problems, let us learn to take risks! Sometimes, Jesus
brings us to experiences we do not enjoy, but He is in these experiences. We
just have to take courage. Courage to speak for what is right, courage to ask
for forgiveness, courage to forgive.
As Peter
walked on the water, he began to sink because he was frightened by the strong
winds and waves. Here is our Practical Suggestion #4: FOCUS ON JESUS.
In our
difficult moments, we easily lose focus because we tend to be more preoccupied
by the problem. We have to remember that for us to overcome our trials, we must
fix our eyes on Jesus. Always.
Jesus
then immediately stretched out his hand to save the sinking Peter and told him,
“O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?” The first thing that Jesus did was to save Peter before admonishing
him. When our relationships with others go through difficult times, what do we
do first? Do we help the person before rebuking him/her? Or do we intervene the
other way around? Do we even help them at all? As Jesus teaches us through
today’s Gospel, let us try to follow what He did. In difficult situations, let
us apply Practical Suggestion #5: HELP
FIRST, REPRIMAND LATER.
Finally,
as we look at the whole story, Jesus ultimately arrived on time, at the precise
moment when the disciples where in a difficult situation. This is our Practical
Suggestion #6 – TRUST IN GOD’S TIMING.
As the saying goes, “God is never too
early. Otherwise, we will lose our faith. God is never too late, otherwise we
will lose our hope. God always arrives at the precise point when we need him.”
However,
our Gospel’s Six Practical Suggestions will only work when practiced with
Faith. It is the same Faith which made Elijah in the First Reading recognize
God not in the fire, earthquake, or wind but in the tiny whispering sound. It
is Faith which made St. Paul in our Second Reading speak about the truth in
Christ. In everything we go through, we remember to pray, Lord increase our faith! Lord increase our faith!
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