Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.” Mt. 14:28-29

Jezebel

Ahab 

Elijah

This cast of characters is prominent in the background of today’s first reading.  You’ve certainly heard the first name! It’s still used in our time to designate a “loose woman.” 

But what about the others? Who were they and what did they do?

Ahab was the king of Judah, the area south of Jerusalem that produced the great kings, Solomon and David. He married Jezebel, a Canaanite princess, and a priestess of Baal, a false god. 

Elijah is one of the greatest Old Testament prophets. He’s noted for trying to keep the people of Judah from abandoning Yahweh as their God and becoming followers of the other god, Baal. 

Yahweh chose Elijah, a good and faithful man, to denounce Jezebel and Ahab, all their priests, and most of the people of Israel for failing to continue to worship Yahweh. No small task … ! 

Nor a safe one either!

In today’s first reading, where we first meet Elijah, he’s on the run, in really big trouble. Jezebel wants him killed; the king’s army is after him; and he’s surrounded by enemies.

All is lost. He can’t go on. 

Or so he thinks. 

However, amid all this conflict, fear, and doubt, and wallowing in despair, Elijah finds himself in a cave at Mount Horeb. 

There Elijah discovers the presence of Yahweh, his God – not in a mighty wind, not in an earthquake, not in the fire, not in a great outburst of power and majesty – but in a “tiny whispering sound.”

Yahweh God had not abandoned him. Yahweh God is everywhere, even in the smallest and most insignificant of places. 

What a powerful story and compelling introduction to today’s gospel!

Here again we have a tale of fear, doubt, confusion, and conflict. Only this time the enemy is something as simple as water. What it represents is fear – all the fears we have as human beings. 

And … Jesus is walking on it! 

Never in human history has anyone done this. This is something only God can do – the impossible. But Jesus is not only doing it, he’s inviting the disciples – and you and me – to join him! He’s telling us that we can do the same!

“Come,” he invites. Come out of the boat. Come and walk with me. Take the risk and lose your fear. 

Once again, we’re assured by our God that even in the grimmest of circumstances, even amid the most difficult of life’s situations, we’re not left to ourselves – we’re not alone. God is there – and, if we listen prayerfully, and if we risk boldly, we’ll hear him. 

And then we can act. 

Or, to borrow from the final words of Congressman John Lewis who died this past week, we’re then able to:

“Do what you can to bring healing to the burden of decision making …. You can set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity …. You can answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you honestly believe …. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression, and war. 

“So I say to you, walk with the word and the spirit of peace and let the power of everlasting love be your guide.”

Like Elijah, like the disciples in the boat, like John Lewis, you and I find ourselves facing a multitude of difficulties in our lives. 

Aside from COVID-19, daily we’re assaulted with news of drugs and violence, human trafficking and climate concerns, along with dozens of other happenings involving the worst kind of greed and selfishness and power-madness. 

People who work with parish St. Vincent de Paul programs report that they are overwhelmed with the growing needs for food, rent, and debt relief. 

And then there are the issues in our personal lives: the death of loved ones, illness, debts, losses of all kinds, and family problems. 

Recently Atlantic magazine published a report entitled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The author, who has been researching generational differences for 25 years, claims that “The constant presence of the internet, particularly social media, is changing the behavior and attitudes of today’s teens. As a consequence, they are more likely to feel lonely, to report bullying, to display symptoms of depression and, most alarming of all, to commit suicide.”

The reality is that many of us are in search of a cave like Elijah found in which we can escape all our hardships, doubts and despair. Or, like the disciples in the gospel story, many people today are terrified of leaving the boat of safety they find themselves in for fear they’ll sink into a sea of trouble even worse than they presently are experiencing. 

In answer to all this fear and despair, today’s readings recommend two possible remedies:

First, find time for quiet before the Lord. 

As the psalmist suggests, “Be still and know that I am God.” Take the time, as Jesus himself did in today’s gospel, to “go on up the mountain to pray,” and there hopefully you can join Elijah hearing that “tiny whispering sound.”

Second, join Jesus himself in getting your feet wet by doing what you can to make life a little less fearful, a little less troubling, and a little less anxious for those caught in their daily battles against depression and fear, especially in this time of COVID-19 and the horrific rise in unemployment.  .

“Come.” 

This is what Jesus is ultimately inviting us all to do. Come away to a place in your heart where you can hear the “whisper” of God reminding us of the need to follow the directive Jesus gave us in last week’s gospel: “you give them some food yourselves.” 

Come away from your heartaches. Come away from all the very real fears produced by our COVID-19 pandemic. Come away from the reality of the terrors experienced by the unemployed and those unable to meet their rent payments. 

Come away and join Jesus in bringing the good news of a God who speaks in a whisper and walks on the water of fear. 

“Come.” 

Come out of your comfort zones. Come out of the places you feel safe and contented and protected. 

“Come.” 

Take the risk that Peter did. 

Take the risk that John Lewis did. 

“Come!” 

Ted Wolgamot, Psy.D.

NOTE: At the end of his eulogy on the value and importance of Congressman John Lewis, former President Obama said this in terms of what Mr. Lewis taught us about being “people trying to be better, truer versions of ourselves” and “where true courage comes from”:

“Not from turning on each other. But by turning towards one another. Not by sowing hatred and division but by spreading love and truth. Not by avoiding our responsibilities to create a better America and a better world but by embracing those responsibilities with joy and perseverance. And discovering that, in our beloved community, we do not walk alone. What a gift John Lewis was. We are also lucky to have had him walk with us for a while and show us the way …. God bless America. God bless this gentle soul who pulled us closer to his promise.”