Fresh Dew Media

 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