Homily Week 19 cycle A - Have faith and keep focused on Jesus

Good morning.   The banner on the South wall of the Sanctuary is for St. Clare whose feast day is tomorrow.  She was a lifelong friend of St. Francis who was her spiritual guide.  She lived a very simple life of poverty following a rule of life given by St. Francis.  He established a Secord Order, the Poor Clares, and St. Clare was the abbess of the order until her death.   St. Clare had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and trusted in Jesus.  Her trust was so strong that she placed the Blessed Sacrament on the convent wall when facing attack by invaders, who fled at the sight of it.  St. Clare, pray for us to have that same trust in Jesus.

        

         This story in the Gospel of Jesus and Peter walking on water reminded me of a vacation I went on as a young teenager to visit my cousins in Northern Minnesota.  They had moved away several years prior due to their dad’s job relocation.   We waited until late in the summer to visit, as it was quite a bit cooler there. We got there just at the right time since it been in the 80’s for over a week. The morning after we arrived we got up at the crack of dawn to go to a swimming hole so we could catch some crawfish.

Our cousins told us that crawfish tasted just like lobster and we were excited about having a feast!  As soon as we got to the swimming hole our cousins all jumped off a 6-foot ledge right into the water.  My brother and I were a little reluctant at the height of jump, but they were having such a good time we took the plunge.  

Little did I know our cousins had been fully conditioned to the frigid elements of Northern Minnesota.  When our feet hit the water they instantly went numb.  The water felt so cold that I think the ice had just melted only a week earlier.  The reaction of my brother and I was biblical, a bit like St. Peter.  We got out of the water so fast you’d think we walked on water.

I know many of you have been on vacations and have got to spend some time on the beach or lakes this summer.  These places by the water can be very peaceful and relaxing.   But water can also be distressing as well, especially if your caught out in a storm and unprepared for the conditions.  I’ve been out on a boat myself and caught un-expectantly in a storm. It was quite frightening and I felt out of control and helpless.

Peter must have felt a bit like this as he was being tossed in the waves.Jesus had sent him and the disciples off to the other side of the lake while he went off to pray.  He needed some quiet time to pray and be with his Father. His cousin, John the Baptist was recently killed, and he also just ministered to the multitudes, feeding over 5000 people from 5 loaves and two fish.  He was probably exhausted and spent at ministering to all these people.  Peter knew Jesus needed to pray, but probably wondered why he left the disciples alone when the winds and the waves started violently tossing the boat. Peter was in familiar surroundings on the water as he was a fisherman for many years, but he also knew of the peril from the wind on the sea that must have struck fear in his heart.

In the midst of the darkness the disciples amazingly see Jesus walking on the water but they didn’t even recognize him.  They didn’t have faith in him. Jesus sensed this and tells them who he is and not be afraid.  Did you know the phrase “be not afraid” is one of the

most frequent saying by Jesus in the Gospels?  Jesus is there at their side in the midst of their trials. Peter recognizes Jesus due to his faith and asks Jesus to call him to come. He does and Peter walks on water. This supernatural act could be only done with Jesus’ help & Peter’s faith.  But Peter’s faith is tested by his fear of the strong winds & he begins to sink.  He takes his eye off Jesus and tries to navigate the water alone, which is beyond his natural ability. In distress Peter calls out for Jesus’ help who saves him immediately. After saving him it appears that Jesus scolds him for lack of faith, but he is really trying to encourage Peter. At the calming of the winds the disciples first recognize Jesus’ divinity as the Son of God. They now have faith in Jesus, at least for a time.

We experience very much the same fears as the disciples did in our own lives.   We struggle with difficulties such as serious illnesses, troubled marriages, and death of loved ones that rock our boats and toss us around where we feel out of control.   We can go from peaceful calm waters of everyday routines and then instantly be in unfamiliar territory that we don’t know at all. But if we keep our focus on Jesus and invite him into our boat in the midst of the chaos, we can experience his saving supernatural power that can help us from being overwhelmed. 

The best way to do this is by strengthening our faith in peaceful times so we can weather the storm when water gets rough.  We can do this by getting into the boat with Jesus.  In the Gospel the boat is a symbol for the Church.  Jesus will be there with us in both the peaceful and challenging times. 

The Church can help us in three ways.  First, in the body of Christ through the faith community that is made of every one of us.  We can be there to encourage and help each other in good and bad times.   That’s why we are here, to love our neighbors in time of need.  

The second way is through prayer.  Prayer builds up our personal relationship with God.  When we pray we need to take some quiet time like Jesus did in the Gospel to be with God.  If we don’t have the words to pray, we can turn to Scripture as our prayer, especially the Psalms.  It’s also a good idea to carry rosary with you to help you pray as well. We can also pray by just being quiet to hear God in the whisper like Elijah did.

Finally we can meet Jesus in the sacraments.  The Church brings Jesus to us whenever we receive the Eucharist, hear his words in reconciliation, or feel his touch in anointing.  Jesus is there for us always to strengthen us to endure our trials.  We will still have struggles, but we do so knowing he is there with us, especially through our community of faith.  And with Jesus we may even walk on water and overcome challenges that we never imagined being able to do. 

But we can only do so by having faith in Jesus, and keeping our focus on him in good times and bad.  So make it a practice to work on building up your faith and enter into the boat with Jesus every day. By preparing in the peaceful times it will help us when winds make it rough. If you know others who are sinking in their own storms invite them to come along with you to Church and see strength that Jesus provides.  May God bless you on your journey living the Gospel this week.