Stronger than Any Storm

HOMILY: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:22-33

13 August 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

We recently had a painting workshop for the children in the parish. Over 100 children completed the two-week workshop that taught them the basics of painting. The first session had the theme: “The Church on a Journey” (Ang Simbahang Naglalakbay). The symbol chosen by the artist-facilitator was that of a boat navigating through the sea. Our attention was caught by the artwork of one of the children. The boat he drew was struggling through the raging waters of the sea. It was almost sinking as the waves were threatening to break his boat apart. The artist-facilitator casually told me that this child did not need to say anything but we could immediately tell he was going through overwhelming troubles in life.

The disciples on this Sunday’s gospel passage found themselves in such a situation. It happened that their boat in the darkest hour of the night was also battling a turbulent sea and fighting a strong headwind. They became desperate as they struggled to stay afloat in the midst of strong winds and high waves. Then they saw a figure coming toward them, whom they thought at first was a ghost. Soon enough, they realised it was Jesus who was coming toward them as He assures them: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid!” (Matthew 14:27)

For the Jews, the sea can be perceived as a symbol of evil. It is a force of nature that they cannot control. It is a treacherous body of water where frightening storms suddenly appear and whose unexplored depth housed evil creatures. One could easily lose their life in the sea. The fact that Jesus is walking on the water shows that He has power over this evil. He is the only one who has full control over it. The fact that He does not sink and perish reveals how Jesus has power over death. It echoes the story of creation that shows the strength and might of God’s power. Before God puts order in the world, there is only chaos — a formless, desolate, ocean covered in absolute darkness. Imagine all around you the sound and feel of raging waters and waves violently crashing against each other and you cannot see a single thing! It is in this context that God’s spirit moves above the waters and brings order by creating light, day and night, the sky, and dry land filled with vegetation in the first three days. This is absolute proof that God can control chaos and put order in anything.

All the Evangelists except Luke record Jesus’ walking on the water, but it is only Matthew who goes further and narrates the incident of Peter attempting to walk on water. Why is it given importance in Matthew’s Gospel? The answer lies in the purpose of his version of the Gospel — promoting DISCIPLESHIP! In Matthew, we are told that Peter succeeds in walking on the water.  He says “Lord, if it really is You, command me to come to You on the water!” (Matthew 14:28) Can you imagine the audacity of Peter? He tests the Lord and presumes that he, too, has such power over this force of nature. However, Jesus is not angry. He calmly calls Peter to Himself. As long as Peter had his eyes on Jesus, he miraculously could also walk on the water — at least until he notices the strong wind and becomes frightened. Only then does he begin to sink.  He cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30) Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

Why did Peter sink?  Of the various reasons proposed by Bible scholars, I am most convinced that he focused too much on the strong winds and the raging water around him. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus, he was once again overwhelmed by the storm around him. Peter forgot that Jesus (walking on the raging waters and calming the storm) has total control over these hostile forces which are far beyond human strength and capacity. His faith in Jesus had been drowned out by the fear of the violent storm. His whole attention shifted from Jesus to the storm. 

We can be like Peter as we face the many challenges in life. Remember that the disciples were in the boat when the storm hit and normally, they were doing their best to navigate the vessel so they do not sink and drown. We can bet that they were all wondering “Where is our friend Jesus when we need Him? He asked us to get into this boat and now that there is a storm, He is nowhere to be found!” Isn’t that how we feel sometimes? When we are facing adversity, even small ones, we tend to focus too intently on what is scary, what is frightening, what is difficult. We say our prayers and wait impatiently for an immediate solution. We begin to doubt whether God actually has power over that situation, or if He cares enough to help us. We become so overwhelmed with fear and doubt and let the problem defeat us. We feel abandoned and get angry with the Lord. We don’t even notice when God is already helping us!  Let us in the First Reading, God did not manifest in the strong wind, the fire or the earthquake.  He came in a whisper! Fortunately, Elijah was very sensitive to God’s presence that He knew when the Lord had arrived. Can we say the same of ourselves?  Here is the truth: A lot of situations can really be too big or too scary indeed for us to handle, but nothing is too big for Jesus! Thus, we shouldn’t focus on the situation we are in. Rather, we must focus on the One who has power to overcome all adversity!

The battle over evil has been won when Jesus died on the cross and saved humanity. We are no longer destined for damnation. We have a future with God our Father and Creator in heaven. Of course, as we journey through life towards the Father, Satan will keep coming at us to weaken our resolve — to make us lose faith, to deceive us into believing God does not care and His promises are empty. This is actually why it is important for us to pray and receive the sacraments. These are the tools Jesus has left for us to strengthen us and keep us connected to Him always. Let us remember that evil and death no longer have power over us as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. 

Thereby, whatever storm we are going through, let us invite Jesus into our boat and entrust ourselves to Him. He will get us to safety. Let us remind ourselves and each other constantly to keep our gaze upon Jesus. At His command, the wind and waves will subside and there shall be calm in the midst of the turbulence. Brothers and sisters, let us be at peace. Let us trust that God loves us and He will not let us drown in the difficulties of life.