19^th Sunday, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Fix Your Gaze Always on Jesus

Readings: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11–13a; Rom 9:1–5; Mt 14:22–33

Dear friends, as Christians, we are called to love God, defend our faith, stand against evil, and render good service in society. However, we live in a world filled with forces that oppose this divine mandate. The question that confronts us this Sunday is: How do we respond when crises or tribulations arise precisely because we love God or because we have done something good? The readings of this Sunday offer us an answer. They invite us to keep our focus on God with unwavering faith, especially in moments of difficulty. They emphasize what we should do when we suffer for doing good, when we are punished for refusing to participate in wrongdoing, or when we face hostility because of our fidelity to God.

The first reading recounts the deep crisis, threats, and pains the prophet Elijah endured because of his service to God. During the reign of King Ahab, idolatry spread widely in Israel through the influence of Queen Jezebel. Elijah, following God’s instruction, challenged the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, defeated them, and wiped them out. Jezebel, enraged, sought to kill him. With nowhere safe to hide, Elijah fled into the desert and begged God to take his life, unable to bear the threats any longer. But God sent an angel to strengthen him, and later appeared to him, instructing him to go to Mount Horeb and stand before Him. Today’s passage recounts that encounter.

What God told Elijah is what He tells all who face threats, mistreatment, denial of opportunities, or persecution in their families, workplaces, offices, or society because of their love for God, their service to humanity, their commitment to truth, or their refusal to support evil. We live in a world where many are indifferent to goodness and may go to great lengths to persecute those whose lives reflect the light of God.

Many people today suffer because of something good they did—whether in their families, communities, or offices. Some feel disappointed with God for not intervening when they were attacked or ridiculed. Others regret ever doing good because of the hostility they received and the apparent silence of God. Dear friends, God is speaking to anyone in such a situation, saying, “Do not despair. Be strong. Look up to Me”. God may not come in the way we expect—just as Elijah expected God in the wind and earthquake—but in the silence of our hearts we discover that God is near. Difficult moments are not times to run away from God or to seek refuge in the devil. Suffering unjustly is not a call to lose faith or contemplate suicide, but a time to climb the mountain of prayer and encounter God in the gentle breeze of His presence.

The Gospel presents another account of people exposed to danger because of their service to Christ. After Jesus taught the crowd, the disciples wanted them dismissed because it was late, but Jesus insisted they feed the people first. Because of this act of charity, the disciples set out late at night and were consequently exposed to the storms at sea. As the waves tossed them violently, Jesus was not physically in the boat. It seemed as though He had left them to perish.

How do we feel when our suffering comes from an act of goodwill we performed for the Church or society? Many in such situations seek alternative help, while others may renounce God and join the camp of evil, just as Job’s wife suggested to him. The devil is cunning; he whispers that God has abandoned us and that the storms will swallow us. But this is false.

The Gospel teaches that Jesus is never far from us in our crises. He knows our struggles and always comes to our aid. All we need to do is look up—look beyond the waves tossing us from side to side—and we will see Jesus walking toward us, saying, “Courage, do not be afraid.”

By recounting that Jesus walked upon the stormy waters, this Gospel reveals that He is stronger than our problems and more powerful than the tempest that seeks to engulf our lives. In truth, these forces lie beneath His feet; God has placed them under His authority.

When Peter accepted Jesus’ words and fixed his gaze on Him, he walked calmly on the same stormy waters that threatened his life. He discovered that the very source of his fear could not conquer him. He only began to sink when he shifted his focus from Jesus to the waves. In the same way, when we look up to Jesus with faith in the midst of life’s storms, we discover that our fears cannot overpower us. They may not disappear, but they lose their power. As long as our gaze remains fixed on Jesus, the waves of this world will never conquer us.

This is our lesson today: if we lose our focus on God in difficult moments, our problems begin to overwhelm us. But when we keep our eyes on Jesus, our fears lose their power. Dear friends, I do not know your particular struggles, but the Church invites you today to fix your gaze on Jesus. Look beyond the waves of your problems and difficulties, and you will find Him walking toward you with strength and peace.

Peace be with you.

Rev. Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 19^TH SUNDAY, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: WALKING TOWARDS GOD

(Matthew 14:22-33)

It has been the will of God to walk with man from the time of creation.  That explains why, in Genesis, we hear of the visit of God to interact and unite with Adam and Eve.  But man chose the forbidden fruit. He failed to walk towards God, stopped walking with God, and started walking with the enemy of God, away from God, towards the creature instead of the creator.  What a mistake.

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WALK TOWARDS GOD?

Walking towards God presupposes a lot of walking away. As we saw in the Gospel today, Jesus made the apostles to leave the scene of the feeding of the 5000. Walking towards the Lord involves walking towards the spiritual, the eternal while leaving the material, the temporal behind. It is responding more to spiritual hunger and satisfaction of the desires of the soul.

Walking towards Jesus has to do with moving into the boat, that is the Church and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you.

Walking with Jesus is a divine encounter in solitude. It is walking away from the crowd. It is singling oneself out and being bonded to Christ. It is a listening in private prayers. It is a response to the summons of God.

 

LET US LEARN TO WALK WITH THE LORD

We enter into Christ through Baptism, the gate to salvation. As infants, we are guarded and guided by the teachings and directions of Christ to become mature individual Christians. We do not just live as just a body of believers.  We try to discover ourselves, our place among the many Christians out there. We learn to speak to God. We learn to approach God. We begin to admire things of the spirit, and we start plunging ourselves into the wonders and mysteries of the things of the Spirit. We learn to keep an eye on God and on the Holy. We try to keep away from the mundane, the depraved and the corrupt. We endeavour to tell God, "Saviour teach me day by day." We try to get from the Lord, the ways out of the very many evil forces surrounding us and the ranging tempests here and there.

In the Gospel of today, we saw the interested Peter, who represented each and every one of us, the children of God, on how we ought to relate with God in a personal way, how we should learn to follow the Lord, what it means to walk with Lord.

 

LESSON FROM PETER, THE WALKING CHILD

The effort to follow Christ, to walk towards Him in a personal way, is not an easy one.

Jesus had instructed the disciples to enter the boat. Then, the boat began to be tossed about by the wind blowing against it.

Are you surprised when you feel tossed about by problems even when you're a member of the Church? Does it trouble you that even after your efforts not to move over to the rebels, not to practice one ungodly act or the other, etc, forces still hit you here and there?

Jesus wants you to walk towards Him.

Jesus wants us to look up and see Him walking towards us, walking indeed on the things we fear most. Think of those things making you fear walking towards God, doing the will of God, praying the way you should, raising a Christian family, building a holy, noble relationship, etc. Look up and see Christ offering you a way out, a support, the spiritual side of the story.

 

To learn walking towards Christ, work on your fears and limitations.

Little children are often hindered from walking by the natural tendency and inclination to lie down or sit down. To be able to walk, they must be inspired to rise. Rise up from sitting in dormancy of enjoying the crowd coverage. Move from the 5000 into the 12 and from the 12 into the YOU, the single.

Little children are moved to walk by their desire to get grip of what is before them. They are drawn by the spectacle of the beauty before them. They stand, move the first leg, then the other, and again, they continue. Somewhere along the line, the claps and hailing by people around, the noise of those calling him little child, or whispering "he will fall, or fellow children running up and down touches him and makes him remember that he is not qualified to walk pulls him down. He cries and someone, holds them up, urges them on, and encourages them not to be of little faith but to continue till all is perfected.

This is indeed what we witnessed when Jesus summoned Peter today. Peter walked on. He walked on the forces and waves that were against him.  At a time, he started sinking and called out to Christ to save him. Jesus did and took him into the boat.

Dear Child of God. Make an effort to learn from God. Make an effort to advance in virtues. Endeavour to follow the instructions of Christ. Cry out for help when you start going down. Give God your helpless hand. He will offer you his helping hand. His grace will see you through. 

May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

Behold us, Lord, as we are walking towards you in private and communal prayers, in meditation and devotion, in weakness and fears. We need Your grace in the journey of life. We need Your abiding presence in times of trials and temptations. Deliver us from the many forces trying to make us lose focus on You our Lord and God. Help us to walk steadfastly in the light of Your word through Christ our Lord.  Amen

Happy Sunday (19th Week, Ordinary Time, Yr A)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh