Stepping Out of the Boat

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

09 August 2026

 

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:19a, 11-13a

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14

Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

 

Reflection

By: Bernard Borja

 

“Where are my glasses?!” yelled a father who misplaced his eyeglasses for the 100th time inside his own house. He lifted the sofa, took out the bed, even opened the freezer to look for his glasses. His toddler then pointed to his head, “It’s there, papa!” The father reached up and felt a familiar piece of plastic resting on his head. He pulled it out, but instead of putting it on, he looked at it suspiciously, “Are you sure these are mine?”. Of all the people in the family, he is the only one wearing eyeglasses (and often misplaces it).

~~~

Life is rarely a calm and predictable sea. In our modern daily lives, we are constantly bombarded by storms – financial struggles, health crises, broken relationships, and the overwhelming noise of the world. When the waters are calm, we easily fall into the illusion of self-reliance, trusting our own intellect and resources and sail through the journey when conditions are favorable. But when the winds howl and we begin to sink under the waves of anxiety, our "little faith" is heavily tested.

Like Peter, we often take our eyes off Jesus, worrying instead on the terrifying storm around us. We stubbornly insist on doing things all by ourselves, waiting until we are drowning to look up and cry out to God. Yet, Christ’s invitation remains steady: He calls us to step out of the boat and come to Him on the turbulent waters, challenging us to trust His presence even when doubt clouds our minds. We must remember that God does not always announce Himself in the earthquake or the roaring wind; oftentimes, as Elijah learned, He speaks in a tiny, whispering sound, waiting for us to silence our hearts and listen.

We live in a world filled with constant noise – endless notifications, demanding schedules, and our own anxieties. If we try to tackle everything by ourselves, this overwhelming noise easily drowns out God's quiet guidance. We must learn to pause our busy lives long enough to hear the gentle, tiny whisper of the Lord directing our steps and calming our personal storms.

During difficult times, our doubts are often fueled by a misunderstanding of what God is actually providing. When a storm hits, we want an immediate, flawless rescue. God’s presence is proven in His daily, silent provision of exactly what we need to sail through the storm. As St. Paul assures us in last week’s reading, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. In today’s reading, St. Paul demonstrates a radical, selfless compassion that differs greatly with today's “hyper-individualism”. It is incredibly easy for us to become completely indifferent to the struggles and mistakes of those around us, passing quick judgments rather than offering grace that we have received when Christ pulled us out from the water during our own difficult moments.

St. Paul’s example challenges us to examine our own hearts: do we openly pray for the wellbeing, healing, and salvation of our difficult neighbors or family members? True compassion requires stepping outside of our own occupied journeys to share in the heavy burdens of others.

Let us not lose our little faith when the waters rise or when we begin to sink. Instead, let us trust God with our whole heart that even without stepping out of the boat, He has already revealed Himself to save us from the storm. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we ask for the grace to strengthen our little faith especially when life’s storms overwhelm us. We often search desperately for You in the noise, forgetting You are already with us. Silence our anxious hearts so we may hear Your gentle whisper and show compassion to those around us. Dearest Mother Mary, intercede for us. Help us keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting that even without stepping out of the boat, He is already here to save us from the storm. AMEN.

Tempted

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, `A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone." And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

“You know the reason why you have not found a man for yourself? It’s because you are spending too much time inside the church!”


A friend of mine once told me this straight to my face. I was caught off-guard, and for a second, I did not know how to respond. At first minute, I thought maybe he is right. But at the second minute, I knew he is wrong. So I responded, “How can my service to the church be a hindrance to my love life? Most probably, it could be very well that my close proximity to the church has saved me from meeting the wrong kind of man.”

I sort of distanced from this friend after that. This happened more than a year ago at the time when I was travelling alone in a foreign country. Being a single in a foreign country, some people would expect me to ‘mingle’, including this friend of mine. I did socialize, I go out and meet new friends and enjoy good conversations. I do admit that there are times when I thought of going beyond what my moral values dictate. Just to go with the flow, so they say.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus secluded Himself for forty days in the desert and was tempted. At first, I wondered why Jesus had to undergo such ordeal. We all know that Jesus will definitely pass with flying colors. Besides, He is God! But I realized later on, that aside from the need to experience it all in order to prepare Him for the great task ahead, He is also showing to us a model of how to face and win over temptations.

Like Jesus, I myself have my own taste of temptations. Maybe not as extensive as what Jesus had to go through, but I felt every inch of spiritual struggle. I do not regret having to experience such because it made me learn more about myself, my weaknesses as well as the grace that is bestowed upon me in these times of trouble. I learned that as much as there are temptations lurking around to snatch me, God supplied me with all the necessary resources to overcome the like. During that same time, I met new friends who happens to be Christians. They have kept me company through the rest of my stay. Not only did I have my moral values intact but they enriched my spirituality as well. Truly, it is a showcase of God’s protection over me.

Prayer

Father, danger is ever present in our everyday life. But we need only know how to tap into Your grace and Your protection is ever present, carrying us to safety. Amen.