August 09, 2020
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
In the First Reading for today (1Kngs. 19:9a, 11-13a) we hear a passage about the prophet Elijah who served during the reign of King Ahab in the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the nation split into two kingdoms. This particular story, in conjunction with today’s Gospel of The Walking on the Water (Mt. 14:22-33), can shed light on the meaning of faith.
King Ahab, who ruled over Israel in Samaria, is remembered as being one of the worst kings in the history of the Northern Kingdom. “He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight more than any of his predecessors. He even married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal, and worship him.” (1Kngs. 16: 30, 31b).
Because King Ahab worshiped Baal, the pagan god of weather and fertility, God sent Elijah to pronounce a drought in the land as punishment for his idolatry. After three years of drought and famine, Elijah returns to confront Ahab and Jezebel and enters a contest with the prophets of Baal to prove who is the one, true God. Of course, the God of Israel prevails, and in the process all of the prophets of Baal are killed by Elijah (1Kngs. 18:1-46).
Queen Jezebel is furious because of this and pronounces murderous threats against Elijah who flees for his life into the wilderness. He walks for forty days and nights until he arrives at the mountain of God known as Horeb where he takes shelter in a cave. This is the scene that is set for the First Reading.
The LORD tells Elijah to leave the cave and wait for God to pass by, so Elijah dutifully waits to encounter God. He looks for God in the strong, violent wind, but God is not in the wind. After that he looks for God in the earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake. Then he looks for God in the fire, but God is not in the fire either. (1Kngs. 19:11-12).
Elijah must have been surprised by this, knowing that these were the ways God had appeared to Moses at the time of the Exodus at Sinai, with wind, fire, and trembling of the earth. When everything grows quiet, Elijah timidly hides his face in his cloak and leaves the cave to look for God. It is only in the still silence that he is able to hear voice of the LORD.
As the passage continues, God asks Elijah why he is here hiding on the mountain instead of pursuing his obligations as a prophet. Elijah admits that he is fearful for his life, but God gives him a set of instructions and insistently demands, “Go back.” (1Kngs. 19:15a).
The stormy atmosphere that Elijah encounters on the mountain is similar to the situation of the disciples in the Gospel for today. After Jesus has fed the five thousand with the loaves and fish, he instructs the disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee where he will meet them after praying on the mountain. (Mt. 14:22-23).
During the night, the disciples encounter a storm with a fierce wind and when they see Jesus walking on the water, they become terrified thinking that it is a ghost. Jesus tries to reassure them saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt. 14:27).
But Peter is not convinced. He wants proof and says to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Mt. 14:28).
So, Jesus beckons him, “Come.” (Mt. 14:29).
But when Peter gets out of the boat and feels the force of the wind, he becomes doubtful and immediately starts to sink, crying out, “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30).
Jesus then stretches out his hand to support Peter and says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31).
This incident with Peter seems to parallel what happens to Elijah on the mountain. Elijah is in a situation where he is in fear for his life. Shunning his duties, he lacks the faith that God will protect him. It is only after he hears the voice of God in the stillness that he resumes his mission.
Peter is also afraid for his life. He does not have faith that Jesus can save him from drowning. Only after the wind dies down and he returns to the boat, in the calm of silence, does he perceive along with the others, that it is Jesus, truly the Son of God, who has rescued him. (Mt. 14:32-33).
We can be a lot like both Elijah and Peter in our lives. We encounter troubling times and difficult situations, calamity, illness, or death. Our days become stormy and chaotic and we are worried about what might come next. We do not know to whom we should turn or what action to take. We are nearly paralyzed with fear.
Sometimes we just have to take a step back from the tumult and confusion and take a deep breath. We have to sit in a quiet place and let the stillness calm our hearts and open our minds. Then, like Elijah, we will hear the voice of God through the silence, telling us what to do. And, like Peter, we will feel the hand of Jesus reaching for us as he calms the storm saying, “Do not doubt.”
This is the meaning of faith.
