19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

 1 Kgs. 19:9, 11-13; Rom. 9:1-5; Mt. 14:22-33

There is a remarkable story in the life of Corrie ten Boom that illustrates what extraordinary faith can look like when everything around a person seems to say, “There is no reason to trust.” During the Second World War, Corrie and her family in the Netherlands risked their lives by hiding Jewish people from the Nazis. Eventually, Corrie and her sister Betsie were arrested and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Betsie died there, but Corrie survived. After the war, Corrie became known not only for speaking about suffering but also for speaking about forgiveness. One day, after a Christian meeting, a former concentration-camp guard who had participated in the cruelty came toward her. Corrie recognized him. For a moment, everything inside her resisted extending her hand. Yet she chose to forgive him. Her faith was not simply faith when life was comfortable; it was faith when her memories, emotions and circumstances told her to do the opposite. Her story has been remembered as an example of faith, courage, perseverance and forgiveness.

That kind of faith helps us understand today's Gospel. Faith is easy when the sea is calm. Faith becomes different when the wind is against us. It is easy to say, “I trust God,” when the medical report is good, when the business is successful, when the children are doing well, when the family is united and when tomorrow looks promising. But what happens when the boat begins to shake? What happens when the phone rings with bad news? What happens when the money is insufficient, when a relationship breaks, when a dream collapses, or when we pray and God seems silent? The real test of faith is not what we say when everything is under control. The real test is what we do when we discover that we are not in control.

The disciples had just witnessed one of the greatest miracles of Jesus. Five loaves and two fish had fed thousands. One might imagine that after such a miracle the disciples would have been filled with confidence. Yet immediately afterward Jesus sent them into a boat. Notice something important: they were not in the storm because they had disobeyed Jesus. They were in the storm because they had obeyed Jesus. This is an important lesson for ordinary life. Sometimes we imagine that if we follow God faithfully, difficulties will disappear. But the Gospel does not promise a life without storms. Sometimes the storm comes precisely while we are doing what God has asked us to do.

The disciples were far from land, the wind was against them, and the boat was being battered by the waves. They could not simply get out and walk home. They were trapped in the middle. There are moments in life when we feel exactly like that. We cannot go backward, and we do not know how to go forward. We have prayed, worked, tried everything we know, and still the wind is against us. Perhaps someone listening today is in such a boat. You have done your best, you have prayed, you have been faithful, but circumstances have not changed. Remember this: being in a storm does not mean that God has abandoned you.

There is another beautiful detail in the passage. While the disciples were struggling on the sea, Jesus was on the mountain praying. They could not see Him, but He had not forgotten them. Sometimes our greatest problem is not that God is absent but that we cannot see Him. The disciples could not see Jesus, but Jesus could see them. The darkness that hid Jesus from their eyes did not hide them from His eyes. This is faith: believing that God's presence is real even when His presence is not visible.

The Old Testament gives us many examples of this kind of faith. Consider Moses at the Red Sea. Behind him was Pharaoh's army; before him was the sea. Humanly speaking, there was no solution. The people cried out in fear. Moses told them to stand firm and trust in the Lord. Then God opened a way where there had been no way. Moses did not need to know the entire route before he obeyed. He only needed to trust the God who knew the route.

Then think of Joshua. He stood before the Jordan River with an entire nation behind him. The promised land was ahead, but the river stood between them and the promise. God did not first dry up the river and then ask them to move. The priests carrying the ark had to step toward the water. Faith often works like that. We want God to remove every obstacle before we take the first step. God sometimes asks us to take the step, trusting Him to deal with the obstacle.

Gideon's story gives us another picture. Gideon began with thousands of soldiers, but God reduced his army until only three hundred remained. Human calculation said, “You do not have enough.” God said, in effect, “You have enough when you have Me.” We often measure our possibilities by what we possess: money, education, connections, experience, influence or strength. Faith asks a different question: “Is God with me?” The five loaves and two fish had been enough in the hands of Jesus. Three hundred men were enough in the hands of God. A small beginning can become something extraordinary when it is surrendered to Him.

And then there were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow before an idol. They knew that refusing could mean death in a fiery furnace. Yet their answer demonstrated extraordinary faith. They declared that God was able to rescue them, but they also made it clear that even if He did not rescue them, they would not abandon Him. That is mature faith. It does not say, “God, I will trust You only if You give me the answer I want.” It says, “God, I will trust You because You are God, even when I do not understand Your answer.”

Early in the morning Jesus came walking toward the disciples on the sea. But when they saw Him, they did not recognize Him. They were terrified and cried, “It is a ghost!” Isn't that strangely familiar? God may be coming toward us in the middle of our storm, but fear can prevent us from recognizing Him.

But Jesus speaks to them: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then Peter says something extraordinary: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter does something that the other disciples do not do. He steps out of the boat. Faith sometimes requires us to leave the place where we feel safe. The boat represents security, familiarity and human calculation. The water represents uncertainty. He walked because Jesus said, “Come.”

That is one of the most important lessons in this Gospel. Faith is not believing that we can do impossible things by ourselves. Faith is responding when Jesus says, “Come.” A student may feel inadequate but hears God's call to study and persevere. A person may need to apologize and take the first step toward reconciliation. Someone may need to begin a new responsibility even though he feels unprepared. A family may have to continue trusting God through financial difficulty. A person may have to forgive someone who has caused deep pain. Faith means taking the next step because Christ has called us, even when we cannot see the whole path.

Peter walks. For a moment, he does the impossible. But then something changes. He notices the strong wind. The wind had been there all along. The waves had been there all along. The danger had not suddenly appeared. What changed was Peter's attention. At first his eyes were on Jesus. Then his eyes moved to the storm.

That is how many of us lose courage. We begin with God, but soon we count the problems. We count the disappointments. We count the people who oppose us. We count our weaknesses. And eventually the problem becomes larger in our minds than the God who called us.

Peter began to sink, but notice what he did next. He did not give a long speech. He did not pretend to be strong. He simply cried, “Lord, save me!” That may be one of the most honest prayers in the Bible. Sometimes that is all we can pray. “Lord, save me.” “Lord, help my family.” “Lord, give me strength.” “Lord, I don't know what to do.” And the wonderful thing is that Jesus does not wait. Matthew says that Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.

There is hope here for every ordinary person. Peter's faith was imperfect, but Jesus did not abandon him. Peter doubted, but Jesus caught him. Peter sank, but he was lifted by Jesus. 

The story of Corrie ten Boom reminds us that faith can survive circumstances that appear unbearable. Moses teaches us to trust when there is no visible road. Joshua teaches us to take the first step. Gideon teaches us that God does not need large resources to accomplish His purposes. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego teach us to trust God even when the answer is not guaranteed. Peter teaches us that even imperfect faith can reach toward Jesus—and when our strength fails, His hand does not.

There is also something beautiful at the end of the Gospel. When Jesus enters the boat, the wind ceases. The disciples worship Him and say, “Truly you are the Son of God.” The storm became the place where they discovered something deeper about Jesus.

Let us keep our eyes on Him when the wind is strong, when the waves are high and when the future is uncertain. For the One who walked upon the sea still says to every frightened heart today: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Satish