Following is the prepared text from Bishop Olmsted’s homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
August 9, 2020
In the First Reading today (1 Kings 19:9ff), Elijah the Prophet is frightened and deeply discouraged. His life is in grave danger because He did what God asked him to do. In obedience to the Lord, he slayed the false prophets of Baal. Instead of fidelity bringing him earthly acclaim, Jezebel’s troops pursued Elijah across the desert to Mt Sinai. At the moment in which we find him today, Elijah is hiding in a cave, afraid of being killed, feeling isolated and alone. But the Lord rescued Elijah, not with the sword but with His own Presence. He hears this voice telling him, “Go outside …the Lord will be passing by.” So, Elijah went to the mouth of the cave and waited. As he did so, there was a strong, driving wind – a way God spoke in the past – but, this time, the Lord was not in the wind. Then, there was an earthquake and then a fire – by which God had spoken before – but the Lord was not in them. Then, there was a tiny, whispering sound; “a voice of silence” is the way the original Hebrew language puts it. At the voice of silence, everything changed for Elijah. He knew the Lord was with Him. At that moment, he could have made the words of St. Paul his own: “If the Lord is with us, who could be against us?”
God allowed Elijah’s faith to be tested; but not defeated. In our Gospel today, the faith of Peter and the other Apostles is also put to the test by fear. Jesus makes the Twelve get into a boat and precede Him to the other shore, knowing that they will be beaten by waves more powerful than a raging Monsoon in the Sonoran Desert. The Apostles were so terrified that, when Jesus came to them walking on the waves, they cried out in fear, thinking He was a ghost. But the Lord said to them, “Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.” Yet, so great is their fear that they find it hard to believe Jesus. After all, He had made them get into the boat without Him. And His voice comes to them from the very heart of the storm – a storm that He fails to stop! Why? What is Jesus doing here? He wants them to experience relief coming from the very thing that frightens them. From the place that most filled them with fear, He wants to give them the gifts of trust and peace; and to do so while the storm rages on! Why would our Lord do that?
Jesus is preparing them for the mystery of His own Passion and death on the Cross, which looks like a horrific disaster. The Crucifixion of Jesus seems to be the defeat of goodness itself but instead is the defeat of iniquity. At Calvary, evil seems to conquer but instead love triumphs over fear.
Our human nature, wounded by the sin of Adam, does not think we can find the Lord in a place of fear. But that is what we call the Paschal mystery: the mystery of fear transformed by love which Jesus is revealing in the raging storm.
Peter is the first of the 12 Apostles to win this battle with fear. At Jesus’ invitation, he gets “out of the boat and begins to walk on the water toward Jesus.” This is faith in action. At that moment, Peter’s trust in Jesus is greater than his fear of death. He got out of the boat! He trusted Jesus’ invitation, “Come!” His love of the Lord was stronger that the paralysis of fear. An anonymous disciple of Jesus during the Roman persecution of the 3rd century, nearly 1800 years ago, wrote, “Happy are those who, putting all their trust in God, have plunged into the waters of life.” That is what Peter did. Because of his trust in Jesus, he walked on the turbulent water. But, as soon as he looked away from the Lord, he began to sink. Yet, when Peter cried out in faith, “Lord, save me!,” “…immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter.” And the other Eleven, noticing that Jesus had calmed the sea, made a profession of faith, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Imagine what went through the Apostle’s minds the next time they prayed Psalm 65, after Jesus calmed the storm. Listen to some of psalm:
“To you our praise is due in Zion, O God… You uphold the mountains with your strength, you are girded with power. You still the roaring of the seas, and the tumult of the peoples. The ends of the earth stand in awe at the sight of your wonders.”
What does Jesus teach you and me today? First, we should not be surprised that our faith is being tested by fear. As Ben Sirach told his son in the Old Testament (Sirach 2:1), “My child, if you endeavor to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for an ordeal.” No matter what the Lord allows us to face, He does so only to draw us closer to His Sacred Heart. As St. Peter wrote (I Ptr 4:12-13),
“Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the suffering of Christ.”
Secondly, in every difficulty or even failure, whenever fear tests our hearts, seek the face of the Lord. As the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us (Heb 12:2), “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith.” As long as Peter kept His eyes on Jesus, He walked on water, drawing increasingly closer to the Lord. Even when Peter let the raging waters distract his attention, Jesus reached out His hand and rescued him, as soon as Peter cried out, “Lord, save me.” Some of the best prayers we can say are like that prayer of Peter, “Lord, save me!” “Lord, help!” “Lord, have mercy!” “Lord, rescue me!” “Lord, be my refuge and my strength!”
Thirdly, dare to get out of the boat! Expect to find Jesus present in the fears we face! The devil wants us to stop trusting Jesus, and to stop believing the Lord is near when we feel afraid. Every time we face suffering or fear, Jesus draws near to us. He is close to the brokenhearted, close to those who are afraid.
Fourth, be intentionally Eucharistic. Bring your fears here to the Altar. At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus is present with us—Body and Blood, true God and true man. Here is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Indeed, He is here. If the Lord is with us, who could be against us?
