19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel Reflection

Matthew 14:22-33

We are all students in the school of God, or as Francisca Javiera del Valle would put it, the school of the Holy Spirit. We will only graduate from this school when, by the grace and mercy of God, we behold him face to face. Throughout our lives we continue to learn, provided, of course, that our pride or stubbornness does not hold us back. This has always been the experience of men and women of faith, even those called to the most special roles of cooperating with God’s plan of salvation. So in today’s readings we reflect on the experiences of two such chosen ones, Elijah and Peter. Elijah (Elias) lived some nine centuries before Christ and is regarded, together with Moses, as the archetype of all prophets. His mission was to lead the people back to faithfulness to the original covenant made centuries before that bound them to the ten commandments and to the one true God. He strived to correct the reigning king of the northern kingdom, Ahab, who had himself forsaken his allegiance to age-old covenant. Elijah had to be continually supported and guided by the hand of God. God revealed himself to him through signs and inspirations. The first reading tells of an occasion in which Elijah must be encouraged in the face of stiff opposition from the powerful king. God makes his presence felt, not so much through the powerful wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but with the arrival of a gentle breeze. Together with Elijah we are taught that though God must sometimes use potent or even fearful signs to overcome human indifference or our evils ways, He himself is gentle, just and merciful - and never tiring in his love for us.

With the coming of Our Lord, the school of God became a ‘university’, containing all manner of learning in the way of salvation. Among the first students of this new level of learning, Peter held the primary place. Like ourselves, he was not always a good student, but Our Lord patiently continued to teach him and the others the virtues and attitudes that a

Christian should live with. Today’s Gospel reading shows how Jesus taught Peter a lesson for later life through an unusual and miraculous event. Christ approached the boat of Peter, buffeted by stormy waters, walking over the rough seas. This greatly impressed and fascinated the Apostle to the point where he wanted to meet Jesus, by himself approaching his Master on the waves. Though Our Lord obliged him in his wish, Peter soon became overwhelmed by the threat of the wind and waters and panicked. He was then held by the strong arm of Christ. “Man of little faith….why did you doubt?” These words of Jesus would never be forgotten. Though there were still other times when Peter would give way to doubt or fear, his life as a whole would be one of faithfulness and even heroism. He succeeded in being the first of Christ’s Vicars, confirming the faith of others in the early Church. The boat of Peter has come to be regarded as a symbol of the Church, which must cross the often rough seas of human history. However, she cannot sink, because the arm of God sustains her. We too must bear this lesson of trust in our hearts and minds, especially when we meet difficult times and circumstances in our lives.