Readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
The Israelites have turned against Elijah and he has fled to Mt. Horeb. This readings describes God’s response to Elijah’s need for the 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) (Deut 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).[3]”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
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.
Reading II Romans 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 Lev 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.”[4]
Gospel Matthew 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; Jesus approach to the boat, walking on the water supports 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 readings 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)
Reflection:
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
The Israelites have turned against Elijah and he has fled to Mt. Horeb. This readings describes God’s response to Elijah’s need for the 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) (Deut 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).[3]”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
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.
Reading II Romans 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 Lev 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.”[4]
Gospel Matthew 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; Jesus approach to the boat, walking on the water supports 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 readings 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)
Reflection:
We once more have an embarrassment of riches in sacred scripture. In the first reading from 1 Kings, we could reflect upon were 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 were have been challenged by the Lord to attempt even walking on water, as St. Peter tried to do in today’s Gospel. 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 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 live 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 that those he also loves cannot accept the Savior as the fulfillment of all they had been promised.
If we had that same 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.
For me at lease, this short reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds me 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
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “God Passes By, by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695
[3] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings: 19:11-13
[4] See NAB footnote on Romans 9:1-5
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