Catechism Links[1]
CCC 164: Faith experiences
testing
CCC 272-274: Only faith can follow
mysterious ways of providence
CCC 671-672: In difficult times,
cultivate trust that all is subject to Christ
CCC 56-64,
121-122, 218-219:
History of covenants; God’s love for Israel
CCC 839-840: The Church’s
relationship to the Jewish people
 |
| “God Passes By" by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695 |
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading
1: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took
shelter.
Then the Lord said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the
mountain before the Lord;
the Lord will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending
the mountains
and crushing rocks before the Lord
—
but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an
earthquake—
but the Lord was not in the
earthquake.
After the earthquake there was
fire—
but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny
whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance
of the cave.
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Commentary on 1
Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
The Israelites have turned against
Elijah and he has fled to Mt. Horeb. This passage describes God’s response to
Elijah’s need for divine presence. “Compare these divine manifestations to
Elijah with those to Moses (Exodus 19:1-23; 33:21-23; 34:5) on the
same Mount Horeb (Sinai) (Deuteronomy 4:10-15). Though
various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald
the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the
tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God.
It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant
and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant
was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses
and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).”[5]
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm
85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant
us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the Lord — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us
see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us
see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The Lord himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us
see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
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Commentary on Ps
85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that
focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation
at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the
Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward: a land restored, justice
returned, and the salvation of God. When used in the context of the Advent
season, the theme of preparation for a time of peace is announced. It is a
clear tie to the herald of the Messiah, echoing Isaiah’s oracle (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11).
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Reading II: Romans 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do
not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy
Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and
constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were
accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the
covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship,
and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from
them,
according to the flesh, is the
Christ,
who is over all, God blessed
forever. Amen.
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Commentary on Rom
9:1-5
“The apostle speaks in strong terms
of the depth of his grief over the unbelief of his own people. He would
willingly undergo a curse himself for the sake of their coming to the knowledge
of Christ (Romans
9:3; cf Leviticus 27:28-29). His love
for them derives from God's continuing choice of them and from the spiritual
benefits that God bestows on them and through them on all of humanity.”[6]
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Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus
made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the
mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there
alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few
miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the
waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the
night,
he came toward them walking on the
sea.
When the disciples saw him walking
on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and
they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take
courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to
come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began
to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind
was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried
out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his
hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little
faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the
wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him
homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
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Commentary on Mt 14:22-33
This passage from St. Matthew’s
Gospel follows the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples return to the
boat that brought them to this remote site while Jesus stays alone to pray
(recall he had just gotten word of the murder of St. John the Baptist by Herod
and had come to this place to mourn him).
The events that follow,
specifically Jesus' approach to the boat and walking on the water,
support the Lord’s earlier demonstration that he has power over the sea and
elements (see Matthew
8:26). St. Peter’s response to the Lord is to try to do as the Lord
wishes, but his fear prevents him from accomplishing what the Lord has called
him to do. This entire episode has one purpose – to allow the readers to share
in the awe of the disciples as they make their profession of faith “Truly,
you are the Son of God." This account stands in stark contrast to St.
Mark’s account of their response (see Mark 6:51).
CCC: Mt 14:30 448
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Reflection:
We
once more have an embarrassment of riches in sacred scripture. In the first
reading from 1st Kings, we could reflect upon where we look for God.
We could ask the question: do we seek God’s help in ways that would be
spectacular like the feeding of the five thousand? Or do we meditate upon the
ways he has shaped our path in subtle ways, visible only after time has
revealed his fingerprints on our lives?
We
could also continue to contemplate our own depth of faith. We have been
challenged by the Lord to attempt even walking on water, as St. Peter tried to
do in the Gospel story. We were told in the parable of the Mustard seed that,
if we had that minuscule absolute faith, we could move mountains. Peter’s
failure shows us that we too are imperfect, but we can be God’s instruments
none the less.
Today,
however, we hear the anguished words of St. Paul as he cries that his own
people, the Israelites, have cut themselves off from life by rejecting Christ.
We admire his zeal for the Lord, that he is so fervently convinced in the
salvation Jesus brings that it causes him physical pain - pain because those he
also loves cannot accept the Savior as the fulfillment of all they had been
promised.
If
we had St. Paul’s level of intense love and faith in Jesus, we would express
the same kind of prayer about the people close to us who have rejected faith.
It would feel as if they had rejected the only cure to a fatal illness (which
it kind of is). We would do all we could to convince them that what they were
giving up was so important that their very rejection of it was causing us
emotional distress.
This
short reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us how important it
is that we keep reaching out to those who have rejected faith, most especially
the agnostic and the atheist. Their formal rejection of God and His Son has
doomed them to give up peace in this life and eternal bliss in the next. It is
never too late, though. We can continue to extend the offer of faith to them,
just as Jesus reached out and rescued St. Peter.
Pax
In other years on this date: Optional Memorial for Saint
Pontian, Pope and Martyr and Saint Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2]
The picture used today is “God Passes By, by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[5]
See NAB footnote on 1 Kings: 19:11-13
[6]
See NAB footnote on Romans 9:1-5
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