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
Jezebel has challenged (“Where is the Prince?” against his name “Yahweh is my God.” 1 Kings 19:1-8) [5] 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).” [6]
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kgs 19:5 332
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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).
CCC: Ps 85:11 214; Ps 85:12 2795
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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
In this passage St. Paul borrows from the passion of Moses for the people of God in Exodus 32:32 when Moses says: "Now if you would only forgive their sin! But if you will not, then blot me out of the book that you have written.” The apostle is using oratorical exaggeration and contradicting himself (see Romans cf. 8:31ff) when he wishes himself accursed. He is once more expressing his love of the mission God has given him in converting all non-believers to Christ.[7]
“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.”[8]
CCC: Rom 9:4-5 839; Rom 9:5 449
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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 Lord is overcome by both grief at the news of the death of St. John the Baptist (Matthew 14:13) and compassion for the crowd he had just fed. He goes off alone to pray. “The contemplation of the Father, impossible without a movement that first leads inwardly and separates from all that is not God, necessarily bears fruit in the contemplation of one’s brethren: we come to see others as God sees them.” [9]
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, nonetheless.
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 mental 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 is in a very real sense). 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. We see this level of distress in the tears of St. Monica as she prayed for her son who would later be known as St. Augustine.
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 August 13th: Memorial of 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” artist and date are unknown.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Simon J. DeVries, 1 Kings, 2nd ed., vol. 12, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Inc, 2003), 235.
[6] NAB footnote on 1 Kings: 19:11-13.
[7] The
Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p.106.
[8] NAB footnote on Romans 9:1-5.
[9] Leiva, Erasmo. Fire Of Mercy Vol. 2 (Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word). Ignatius Press pp. 357-358.
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