First reading: 1 Kings 19:9,11-13
Psalm: Ps 85:9-10,11-12,13-14
Epistle: Romans 9:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

Today’s lessons are about leaving Jesus, fear, finding Jesus, fear, and finding Jesus again.

The disciples set out in the boat leaving Jesus behind. We do that, almost weekly. We set off for our lives and leave this moment with Jesus behind. We get farther and farther away from the perfect reality of Christ and the sanctuary of His Church, setting out on the sea of life in our little boats.

Now our boats my be a Ford or a Chevy, they may be a Harley or a bicycle, they may be our houses, well insulated from everything on the outside. As the memory of our time with Christ fades we find ourselves out in those boats being buffeted by the sea.

The sea is terribly stormy. The world is awash in misery. Our well insulated houses are loosing value by the day, our credit cards are overextended, our country, once an indomitable financial powerhouse is loosing its place to China. Our military power, for all its technology and might, can do little against entrenched enemies and fourth generation warfare. Our jobs and retirements grow less and less secure. As we drive along in our cars we don’t even know if the next bridge we cross will fall into the chasm below. We are terribly afraid. We are so afraid that Jesus gets pushed right out. The waves are crashing over the bow and Jesus is nowhere in our lives.

Suddenly we see Jesus. Hey look! its Jesus! We experience a faint recollection. Someone mentions Him. The Spirit keeps working at us until we faintly pick up on the message. Like Elijah, the voice is like a whisper, look here comes Jesus. We stop and whisper a silent prayer in return, Jesus help me. We return here, to church, and for a brief moment we feel like we’ve found Jesus again. We may even hear Him saying:

—Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.—

When we recognize the voice we react like Peter calling out:

—Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you—

He says, —Come.—

Brothers and sisters,

We begin again on our journey to Christ. In fits and starts we find ourselves momentarily empowered. God is more than this. The Christ is more than mortgages, credit cards, wars, insurrections, and rickety bridges. We almost find ourselves on the verge of putting our trust in Him.

when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened

…and began to sink. So do we. That final act of trust, of saying no to everything we think is solid, and putting our faith, hope, and trust in what is eternally solid, seems to be the step we just will not take, a step that eludes us.

To take that step on a surface that seems to melt under our human feet, like the water melted under Peter’s feet, takes something extraordinary. For now we just call out:

—Lord, save me!—

Be assured, our Lord and Savior is here. He stretches out His hand and He catches us. He puts us back on solid footing and asks us to trust, to trust even when we think there is no ground beneath us at all.

My friends,

The Lord is continuously reaching out to us. He is continuously calling us back to reality. It is not the reality we perceive with fearful eyes and minds, but the reality that is eternal, the reality we see with the eyes of the soul.

Now for that extraordinary final step. Nothing extraordinary at all really. It is simply this. We must live. We must lives our lives and, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Church, we must continually remind ourselves that the Lord’s hand is reaching for us. That He is helping us. That He is drawing us to safety – the only safe assurance worth having, life that is lived at one with God.

So we say: Do not be afraid of the storm and do not be afraid of the mistakes, of the times where we forget of Jesus. He is here, to be found again and again. He us here for us. We are secure in Him Who is our salvation. Amen.