First Reading: (1 Kings 19:9, 11–13)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 85)
Response:
“Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation.”
Second Reading: (Romans 9:1–5)
Gospel: (Matthew 14:22–33)
Reflection
The readings of this Sunday bring us comfort, consolation, and assurance.
When we are going through hardship and encounter difficult moments in life, we are never alone.
God comes to us.
God shows His face to us.
God brings us comfort, consolation, and assurance.
He never abandons us.
The question is:
Do we recognize Him when He comes to meet us?
Many times, when we are battered by difficult circumstances, we think or feel that God is far removed from us. We feel as though we are carrying our problems all by ourselves.
But perhaps the problem is not that God is absent.
Perhaps we simply fail to recognize His presence.
Look at the Gospel.
The disciples were in a boat in the middle of troubling waters. The wind was against them. The waves beating against the boat. They were afraid.
They were struggling.
And then Jesus came to them.
He came walking on the water.
They did not recognize Him at first. They were terrified and think they were seeing a ghost.
But Jesus immediately says:
“Take heart. It is I. Have no fear.”
Jesus came to journey with them.
He came to comfort them.
He came to assure them.
He came to rescue them.
He was there.
They will not sink.
Peter recognizes Jesus and asks to come to Him on the water.
Jesus says:
“Come.”
Peter steps out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus.
But then Peter looks at the wind.
He became afraid.
He began to sink.
And he cried:
“Lord, save me!”
What does Jesus do?
Does He abandon Peter because of his lack of faith?
No.
Jesus immediately reaches out His hand and catches him.
Even when Peter's faith becomes weak, Jesus remains faithful.
Then the first reading gave us another beautiful example.
Elijah was afraid. His life was being threatened by the wicked Queen Jezebel, and he fled to Horeb seeking refuge.
He was in a difficult moment.
He felt alone.
He was frightened.
Yet God comes to meet him.
There was a powerful wind.
But God was not in the wind.
There was an earthquake.
But God was not in the earthquake.
There was a fire.
But God was not in the fire.
Then comes a still, small voice.
A gentle whisper.
And Elijah recognizes the presence of God.
God did not need to arrive with thunder and spectacle.
He came quietly.
He came gently.
And in that quiet presence, Elijah received assurance:
“You are not alone. I am here with you.”
Where is God in your/ my storm? The same thing happens in our lives.
When we experience difficult moments, we often ask:
“Where is God?”
But perhaps the better question is:
“Can I recognize God in the middle of my storm?”
When friends fail you...
When your business fails..
When job fails..
When you do not succeed academically...
When sleep eludes you...
Health failure
When society laughs at you or shames you...
When you are misunderstood, misinterpreted, or unappreciated...
When you feel discouraged or stressed...
When you are experiencing pain and frustration...
When your weaknesses and sins become the subject of laughter and mockery...
When you encounter sickness...
When death comes...
God comes to meet us.
And He tells you:
“Courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”
The question is:
Do we recognize Him?
God is there, even when we cannot feel his presence.
Sometimes we pray and hope that things will turn out positively, but they do not turn out the way we expected.
We ask God to change our circumstances.
We ask Him to remove the suffering.
We ask Him to take away the cross.
And when nothing changes, we may begin to think that God has abandoned us.
But God's presence does not depend upon our circumstances changing.
He remains with us even when the storm continues.
We are human beings with limited understanding. We cannot fully understand God's ways with our limited minds.
There are moments when we may feel that God has allowed us to undergo pain, suffering, and the cross.
We may even cry out, as Jesus did on the cross:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Yet even in that moment, God is there.
He was there for the disciples.
He was there for Elijah.
He was there for Paul.
And He is there for us.
Look for God's face. How, then, do we recognize God?
The readings remind us that God can reveal Himself in unexpected ways.
He came to the disciples walking on the water.
He came to Elijah through a gentle breeze and a quiet voice.
God can even reveal His presence through nature.
But He can also reveal His face to us through other people.
Therefore, we must be careful not to disregard the people God sends into our lives.
We may never know whom God is using to show His face to us.
Sometimes the person who encourages us, helps us, listens to us, forgives us, or simply stays beside us during a difficult moment may be an instrument through which God is reminding us:
“You are not alone.”
Do not be afraid, let us pray for the grace to recognize God's presence despite the difficulties we experience.
Let us never conclude that God has abandoned us simply because life has become difficult.
He is there.
He accompanies us.
He journeys with us.
He reaches out His hand when we begin to sink.
And when the storms of life become overwhelming, He says:
“Take heart. It is I. Have no fear.”
So, whatever storm we may be facing today, remember:
We are not alone.
Whatever battle we may be fighting:
We are not alone.
Whatever pain we might be carrying:
We are never alone.
Whatever uncertainty lies before us:
We are never alone.
God comes to meet us in our difficult moments.
May we have the eyes to recognize Him, the faith to trust Him, and the courage to reach for His hand.
And when we feel ourselves sinking, may we have the humility to cry out:
“Lord, save me!”
And may we always remember that His hand is already reaching toward us.
Courage. It is He. Do not be afraid.
Amen.
God bless you
Happy Sunday
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