19A 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a. Not in the spectacular demonstrations of natural might: the strong and heavy wind; the crushing rocks; the earthquake; not even the fire; but rather in the tiny whispering sound does God make his presence known! Elijah stood at the entrance of the cave where he had previously taken shelter, but now with his face hidden in the cloak, for no one can see the face of the Lord and live. In this world our God is often found in the tiny whispering sound because our life in prayer has given us the ears to hear.
Matthew 14:22-33. Jesus dismissed the crowds after having fed them; yet he himself hungers for the presence of his Father. So “he went up the mountain to pray.” Jesus in his divinity was always united with his divinity and so did not need to pray but Jesus, in his humanity, teaches us that we in our humanity need to unite ourselves with the divinity, who is the only true source of goodness forever. Jesus, truly man, by his incessant desire to pray teaches all humanity what it needs to know: with God we have everything; without God we have nothing.
The disciples were in a boat a few miles offshore that “was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.” Jesus “came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.” “At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” When we take Jesus as our strength, there can be no fear or worry. Peter is overwhelmed with the sense of strength that the Lord gives him and so asks for the privilege to likewise walk on the water as the Lord does. “But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened.” Peter did not remain in God’s strength but naturally went back to his own inadequacy. Don’t we all do the same? We can all slip back into ourselves and out of a life dependent on the Lord. Thanks be to the God who never leaves us, if we but call back to him for his help. “Lord, save me,” and he does reach out to let his divine life surge back into us again to save us from our little faith in him. Our natural instinct is to live our lives within ourselves, independently and without God. However, without God we sink into difficulties and problems we cannot solve on our own.
Like the transfiguration, Jesus has provided yet another sign of his divinity. So “they did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’”
Romans 9:1-5. Paul writes, “I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart” “for the sake of my own people.” The great majority of his own heritage, the Jewish people, did not accept Jesus as their Messiah and God. They had received so very much from God as the Chosen People but they did not choose God when he came to them, Jesus who lived among them. “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.” (Jn. 1:11.) “From them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever.” Jesus was a Jew as were his mother and adopting father. The vast majority of the people that God chose rejected the God that chose them to be his people. Will we reject him too, or all too half-heartedly, accept him? Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, our God who is blessed and cherished forever.