The Lord is with You
All three Scripture readings speak to putting our trust in God, even in difficult circumstances. In our first reading (1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a), the prophet Elijah is at Mount Horeb. He is there because, after he had slain the prophets of Baal, the queen Jezebel swore that she would get revenge and put him to death. He has been running for his life. Discouraged, he even asks God to take his life. But, encouraged by an angel, he makes his way to Mount Horeb. When God asks him why he is there, he pours out his despair to God, and so God announces to Elijah: “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.” So, Elijah waits for the Lord. There is a “strong and heavy wind;” there is an earthquake; there is fire, but Elijah can see that God was not in any of those. Then he hears a “tiny whispering sound,” and Elijah hides his face and stands at the entrance of the cave.
In our Gospel reading (Matthew 14:22-33), Jesus, after feeding the thousands with five loaves and two fish, tells the disciples to get into a boat and meet Him on the other side. He goes off by Himself to pray. When it is evening, the boat is “being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.” Later, in the middle of the night, Jesus approaches them, walking on the water! When the disciples see Him, they get scared, thinking they are seeing a ghost. But Jesus reassures them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter, to his credit, says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water,” and Jesus says, “Come.” So, again, to his credit, Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking towards Jesus. But, with the wind blowing hard, Peter gets scared and begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus to save him. And Matthew tells us, “Immediately Jesus stretched his hand and caught Peter and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” They get in the boat, and the wind dies down.
In our second reading (Romans 9:1-5), St. Paul writes of his anguish. He is not in anguish because of any threat to him personally. He is in anguish because many of his fellow Jews have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah, their Savior and Lord. He even writes, “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people…They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever.”
Elijah, Peter and Paul are called to put their trust in God. They all persevere. Elijah lets go of his despair and continues to serve God, eventually passing on his mantle to Elisha. Peter, after many other trials, lets go of his fear, and eventually offers his life for the sake of the gospel. Paul, like Peter, is also martyred for his faith.
I want to focus on Paul here. Unlike what we see happen with Elijah and Peter, there is no overt manifestation of God’s power or presence. Paul does not have a clear understanding of how the Israelites will come to believe in Jesus. He has hopes and ideas about how it may come about, as we will see in next Sunday’s reading, but I get the impression that he really doesn’t know. But even without knowing, Paul still goes on, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There are times when things are not clear to us, and we’re not sure what the future will hold. But what is clear to us is God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, and like Elijah, Peter, and Paul, we can persevere, putting our trust in God, sharing God’s love and mercy, acting with compassion, working for justice and making peace.
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ,
Phil, CP
