Homily for 10 August 2014, the 9th Sunday after Pentecost--Walking on Water

Homily for 10 August 2014:  Walking on Water

9^th Sunday after Pentecost (1 Corinthians 3:9-17)                    (Matthew 14:22-34)

 

We usually read this Gospel story as proof of Jesus’ divine power.

But what if we look at it from the disciples’ point of view, especially Peter’s—and then see how it applies to us?

The disciples have been trying all night to get across the sea of Galilee.  It’s stormy, with high winds and waves, and they can’t get to the shore.  They’re tired, for sure, and probably scared.  Nothing they do seems to accomplish anything to reach their goal, to bring them to safety and security.

Then they see Jesus coming to them, walking on the water.  Of course they are terrified; they’re not sure who it is—doing what is impossible—but they are hopeful.  And He says to them, “Don’t be afraid.”

Peter, always the impulsive one, always ready to act before he thinks, challenges Jesus:  “If it really is you, command me to walk to you on the water.”

And Jesus simply tells him, “Come.”

And what happens?  PETER WALKS ON THE WATER . . .

Until he realizes what he’s doing, and notices the wind and the waves and the darkness.  Then he’s scared.  He begins to sink.  All he can do is beg Jesus, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus catches him and saves him—and scolds him:  “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When Jesus and Peter are safe in the boat, everybody says, “Truly You are the Son of God.”  Why do they say this?  Is it because He rescued Peter or because He empowered Peter to something impossible?

More likely it was because He rescued Peter, but the second action is more important.

We look at what happened and see that the central point is that Jesus gave Peter the power, the ability to something “impossible,” something that ordinarily he would not be able to do.

When Peter—in faith—asks Jesus to demonstrate that He is truly Himself, and—in faith—obeys Jesus’ command to “Come!”, in faith Peter becomes able to do what no one can do:  walk on water.  But when his faith gets weak and he thinks about how he can’t do what he’s doing, he begins to sink.  At that point, he has only enough faith to call on Jesus to save him.

A lot of times, we are like Peter.  Something happens—a powerful liturgy, a deep prayer experience, someone we meet, even a really good sermon—that fires up our faith.  We make a new commitment to Christ and swear that we will do whatever He wants.  And we begin to walk on water:  we begin to live a truly Christian life—free, loving, brave; helping the poor, loving our enemies, becoming humble, not quarrelling or gossiping.

But then we notice the strong wind and the waves—the pressures of work and family and society; the sarcasm and ridicule, the criticism, the negativity, the pessimism, sometimes even from our friends—and we get scared.  We begin to wonder, “What if I can’t really do this?  What if God isn’t really there to help me?  What if I’m fooling myself?  What will people say if I fail?  What if I’m not smart enough or strong enough or good enough?”

That’s when we start sinking—when we begin to lose faith.

This is true not only of individuals, but also of groups—families, parishes, cities, even countries.

So each one of us, and our parish all together, must focus on Jesus Christ, the One who says, “Take courage; I’m here; don’t be afraid.”  We must build our faith by prayer and study.  We must encourage each other.  We must use our gifts.  We must love one another.

Even if we are tired and discouraged and it seems like our boat will not reach the security and safety of the land, we have to believe that the Lord is with us, and we have to get out and walk on the water—in faith—to Him.  He will not let us sink, because He is our loving and good God, and we give thanks and praise and glory to Him, and to His Eternal Father, and to His All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.  Amen.

Homily for 3 August 2014, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost--"The Miracle of Sharing is not Magic"

Homily for 3 August 2014:  The Miracle of Sharing is not Magic

8^th Sunday after Pentecost (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)                    (Matthew 14:14-22)

 

The Gospel story we read today is often called “The Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.”  In it, we hear how Jesus turned five loaves of bread and two fishes into enough food so that 5000 men, plus women and children, could eat and still have leftovers.

That sounds like magic!

But does Jesus do magic?  No.  He shows mercy and compassion, He heals, He teaches.  But He’s not a magician.  He is the Son of God and He uses God’s power of love to help God’s people.

So, let’s look more closely at what happens in this story.  The disciples say to Jesus, “Send the people into the town to get food,” but Jesus says to them, “There’s no need for that:  you feed them.”  And they reply, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fishes.”  They were probably thinking to themselves, “And that’s hardly enough for our supper.”  Still, Jesus tells them, “Bring your loaves and fishes to me,” and He blesses and thanks God for the food, breaks the bread, and gives it back to the disciples to distribute.  Then, St Matthew writes, “All ate and were filled.”  And there were twelve baskets of leftovers.

That wasn’t magic!  It doesn’t say Jesus turned five loaves into 5000, does it?

So what did happen?

Maybe the great miracle here is that Jesus got people to use what they had for the good of all, instead of keeping it for themselves.  Have you ever heard of Middle Eastern people not having enough food to share?  Probably everybody there listening to Jesus had brought something to eat:  some bread, some cheese, fruit, dried fish, almonds, and so on—like the disciples did.

And Jesus told them to take what you have, give thanks to God, and share it, in faith that there will be enough and more than enough.

This is a good lesson for us in our small community.  We’re not rich; we don’t have a big new church building; we don’t have a parish staff; we don’t have a lot of kids in Sunday school; we don’t have a lot of families.  We need a new roof; we need more parking.  We probably think that we can’t stretch what little we have—our “loaves and fishes”—to take care of our needs and still have leftovers, to help others or to save for emergencies.

But the miracle of the loaves and fishes is that Jesus used the resources that the people had—even if they were not abundant, and even though the people didn’t think they had enough to do anything with.

We can’t come empty-handed and expect God to give us a handout.  We can’t expect magic.  But when we come together, united in faith and purpose, as St Paul tells the Christians of Corinth, God will take what we have and increase it and use it to provide what we need.

Of course, we’re not just talking about food and other material needs.  There’s also spiritual and physical healing.  And everything else the church community needs:  leadership, talents for ministry (singing, reading, serving at the altar), hospitality, teaching, works of charity, evangelization and outreach, repairs, cleaning, gardening.  And, of course, the parish also needs money—contributions and fundraising.

We might not think we have anything to contribute.  Sometimes someone else has to see what we have to offer—what we can bring—and show us how it can be used, just as Jesus did with the disciples’ five loaves and two fishes.

And we need to give generously.  Jesus didn’t say, “Keep some bread and fish for yourself, then share the rest.”  We should give what we have, in faith, for the good of all—and God will ensure that we still have enough and more.

When we bring to the Lord the resources that we have and share them freely for the benefit of the whole community, Jesus will work the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes here too!

So let us always give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and unto ages of ages.  Amen.