Knowing Nothing is Part of Getting Through

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug 10

First reading                                           1 Kings 19:9,11-13   

When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of the Lord, he went into the cave and spent the night in it. Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ Then the Lord himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.                                  

Psalm                                                 Psalm 84:9-14

Second reading                               Romans 9:1-5

What I want to say now is no pretence; I say it in union with Christ – it is the truth – my

conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too. What I want to say is

this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless, I would willingly be

condemned and be cut off from Christ if it could help my brothers of Israel, my own 

flesh and blood. They were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the 

covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were 

made to them. They are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood 

came Christ who is above all, God for ever blessed! Amen.

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Gospel                                           Matthew 14:22-23

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would
send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to 
pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was 
battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went 
towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they 
were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to 
them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if 
it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the 
boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of 
the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at 
once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the 
boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are 
the Son of God.’

Reflection
By Bernard Borja

“I deserve an explanation! I deserve an acceptable reason!”

Memories in the past suddenly filled my mind as I heard this line from Marco during a confrontation with Ginny, when they saw each other again after their breakup for uncertain reasons. This scene was from the movie “Starting Over Again” and it made me recall similar times when I wanted to question God for the trials and burdens I have been encountering. I have had different storms in my life and I realized that most of it, I didn't really have a choice if I get into it or not. I just have to face it head on. Just like what Jesus did to His disciples.

After the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus did not give the disciples a choice when He made them get into the boat. Without explaining why, He sent them to sail on the other side of the shore. Jesus knew that the disciples would meet a strong storm and that they will be in danger. But Jesus did this because He wanted to strengthen their faith and trust in Him.

When the boat was being battered by the threatening waves, the disciples struggled to keep it afloat for a while. They tried to hold on. But I wonder what they were saying during these times. Maybe Peter (or the others) was saying, “Lord, why have you abandoned us?” Or something like, “Bakit hinayaan mo mangyari sa amin ito?” (“Why did you let this happen to us?”)

I remember such familiar questions were running in my heart and mind during the most difficult times of my life. The waves of pain and uncertainty have been crashing into me. In those times, I felt that God has deserted me. I was left wondering why I had to go through such difficulties.

But then I realized that whenever I go through such tests, He is always there to save me and calm the storm inside. It is a gentle reminder that God always have the power over us. But He perfectly reveals it during the most difficult times of our life. He just wants us to have faith and remain focus in Him. When Peter got out of the boat, he was able to walk on the water as he remained focused on Jesus. But when Peter noticed the strong winds, he became frightened and began to sink. This also reminds us that we must keep our attention on God. Not on the storms or the crashing waves around us.

We may not feel the presence of God in our trials but He is always near to reach out His hand to us just when we are about to lose hope. Every hardship that we encounter has a purpose and is always for our own good. We realize that we could always trust God to calm the storm, and that He lets us experience trials in life to draw us closer to Him. He does not need to explain further because the moment we realize that He is saving us from drowning, we can say, “Thank You Lord! Your timing is just perfect.”

Prayer

Dearest Lord, grant us courage that we may be able to stand through the storms in our life, and be able to walk with You over the waters of uncertainty. We thank You for all the difficulties that we encounter as it serve Your greater purpose for us. May we receive Your ever helping hand to get through the battering waves and trust that You are the only one who can calm the storm in us. This is all for Your greater glory, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son. Amen.