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| “St. John Vianney” artist and date are unknown |
Readings for Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.
For thus says the Lord:
Incurable is your wound,
grievous your bruise;
There is none to plead your cause,
no remedy for your running sore,
no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you,
they do not seek you.
I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly;
Why cry out over your wound?
your pain is without relief.
Because of your great guilt,
your numerous sins,
I have done this to you.
Thus says the Lord:
See! I will restore the tents of Jacob,
his dwellings I will pity;
City shall be rebuilt upon hill,
and palace restored as it was.
From them will resound songs of praise,
the laughter of happy men.
I will make them not few, but many;
they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them.
His sons shall be as of old,
his assembly before me shall stand firm;
I will punish all his oppressors.
His leader shall be one of his own,
and his rulers shall come from his kin.
When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk
of approaching me? says the Lord.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
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Commentary on Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
This passage from the book of the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the restoration of Israel. The first verses, following the introduction, describe the terrible hardship visited upon the country using the metaphor of a person severely wounded. This was caused, according to the oracle, because the people had turned away from God, following practices that were anathema to the Lord (“Because of your great guilt, your numerous sins, I have done this to you.”).
In the concluding verses the oracle predicts the restoration of the land, a return to favored status in the eyes of God (scholars seem to agree that this does not refer to the reestablishment of the temple but of an earlier reversal of fortunes, probably after the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC). The references to leaders being chosen from their own people was probably not a reference to the Messiah in this context, but rather a return to Hebrew rulers. The conclusion (“the deadly risk of approaching me”) is a reference to the earlier tradition, that seeing God in person would cause death (see Leviticus 16:1-2). This chapter from Jeremiah and the next (Jeremiah 31) are considered to be the climax of the prophet's oracle, dealing as they do with salvation through God’s mercy and forgiveness.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
R. (17) The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O Lord,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the Lord has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the Lord:
“The Lord looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the Lord may be declared on Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together
and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
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Commentary on Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
Psalm 102 is an individual lament. In these strophes, we find the cry of the people in the desert once more being directed to the Lord. The psalmist, expressing trust in the mercy of God, asks for a release from suffering and bondage for the people (“The Lord looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.”). The singer gives us a prayer of thanksgiving for the restoration of the people to Israel after the Diaspora. God brought them back from their captivity and reestablished them in Zion. The prayer prefigures God’s salvation offered in the New Jerusalem – God’s heavenly kingdom.
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Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
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 him,
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.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
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Commentary on Mt 14:22-36
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, 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 is 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:
This story of the disciples caught in a storm at sea is not the first time this setting has been seen. Recall in Matthew 8:23-27, there was another storm, but this time Jesus was in the boat with the disciples (although asleep). Still his presence was a calming influence and his reaction to the storm was one of almost casual dismissal. (“Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.”) This time, however, Jesus is a distance away. He was up on a mountain praying. The result of his absence is stunning. The disciples, many of them fishermen and used to sailing, were terrified. It was as if the evil one had chosen that moment, as the light waned and darkness descended, to strike fear and doubt into their minds. It as if the lake itself is at war with God.
Does this example of fear’s ability to overcome rational thought, and even at times faith, strike a chord? I’d like to tell you a personal story that some of you may resonate with. In 2022 I went through hip replacement surgery. This was not my first bout with the surgeon’s knife. But something was different that time. In my previous illness, even though it was considered much more life threatening, I was at peace. Indeed, the Lord was with me, and even though highly qualified doctors had indicated that if their diagnosis was verified through the surgery, my life would soon be at an end (the diagnosis was stage 4 lung cancer). But as I said, I was at peace and the Lord granted me a miracle – this was 2005.
This time the surgery was considered almost routine and the surgeons doing the work were some of the best in the world. The difference was, at that time, I had been fighting one of those spiritual bouts. I was having difficulty praying (especially for myself) and did not feel I was walking at peace with the Lord. That feeling had started almost a year previously when my father died, and I was left with the responsibility of making his end-of-life decisions. Additionally, he died following a fall at home which broke his hip and the last procedure he went through was a hip replacement.
In a sense I felt I was alone in a storm without our Savior’s presence. I received an anointing prior to the surgery and was told it went very well. I continued to recover well and was back in the liturgical saddle in a few months. It was the fear that made the lead-up to those two experiences so different. Faith and trust that the Lord’s will is being accomplished was present in one and lacking in the other. I am glad I was not put to St. Peter’s test, for I would have been sunk (literally).
Today’s story provides us further proof of our Lord’s divinity and power. It also is a caution about letting loose of our faith and forgetting we are not alone; the Lord is with us. It was a lesson I needed to be reminded of and one I now leave with you.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “St. John Vianney” artist and date are unknown.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] 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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
