19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Simham)

IT IS THE TRUST THAT KEEPS THE WORLD MOVING

 Visitors to the Holy Land usually like to take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, the sea on which Jesus walked. And the ticket is very dear for the tourists. And some one told a joke about the boat ride. A certain tourist wanted to take a boat ride and the boatman told him the fare was fifty dollars. “Fifty dollars!” exclaimed the tourist, “No wonder Jesus walked!”

Friends, I don’t know whether Jesus walked on water because the ticket was costly but one this is sure. He wanted to teach the disciples a lesson or two about ‘trusting him.’ ‘Trust Him’ even when he seems to be far away and when all is not well with them.

Look at the situation in which Jesus walks on water and approaches them. “while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head wind.”(Mt.14/24) All was not well with them. They were struggling against heavy wind and the waves. They were wearied and afraid. When Jesus realised that they were in trouble and approached them, they thought he was a ‘ghost.’ The reason being their common Jewish belief that the sea was the domain of supernatural demonic forces. A rough and stormy sea was regarded as the work of these hostile spirits. So when they saw a figure walking on the water, they immediately thought it was a ghost which is causing this storm, coming to devour them. Funny! is it not? For us it is fun but for them it a battle of life and death.

But the pity is; in their anguish and problem, it is their traditional belief in ghosts that comes to their mind but not Christ who came to the rescue of five thousand hungry men and multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed the 5000 men just a day ago. They were fresh from seeing a wonderful miracle just the previous day evening. They didn’t remember the Christ who calmed the same sea a few days back. (Refer Mt. 8/23-27.) Christ who healed a leper, raised the dead, caste out the demons, was forgotten or did not come to their mind. What a pity! Jesus expressed his disappointment in the words “you man of little faith, why did you doubt.”

Friends, this gospel teaches us two things. One: life is a combination of ‘calms’ and ‘storms’. You must have heard the expression that ‘life is not bed of roses’. And the disciples has to learn that. So this the time. They have to face the storm all alone without Jesus. Predicting the future of the church. How true it for us too. Life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns, storms. Some time too heavy to bear. All those who are married or single here; think and see. Is your life bed of roses? All cosy and comfortable. No. May not be always.

Secondly, it is easy to say like Peter “you are Christ, the son of the living God” and “to whom shall we go, for you have the words of eternal life” when things are going well with you. But when it came up to his life he said “I do not know him” or the disciples said “it is a ghost”. They doubted. Doubt is nothing but lack of trust. They did not trust him when it mattered most. This is the greatest problem of the world. We don’t trust. Forget about trust in God; we don’t trust each other. Nations do not trust each other so there is so much expenditure on defence and warhead; People of different religions don’t trust each other so there is (religious) terrorism; partners don’t trust each other so there is divorce, separation and broken families; children or teenagers don’t trust each other so they go around with knives. Lack of trust is the cause of so many problems in the world.

On the other hand, it is ‘trust’ that keeps the world going. You trust the driver or operator, so you get into the trains, DLRs, buses and planes. You trust vendors and butchers, so you buy vegetables and meat from them. You trust your bank, post-office, government, politicians and so on and so forth. Its ‘trust’ that keeps the world going.

But the funny thing is that often in life we trust all those who are not so close to us; say “drivers, operators, vendors, butchers, bankers, politicians etc.” more than those who are very close to us: wife, husband, children, parents, grand parents and God too. Is it not true sometimes?

And today’s gospel tells us to ’stop doubting and start believing in each other and in God.’ They say “when going gets tough; the tough get going”. The ‘tough’ are those who believe in themselves and in their destiny (Jesus) even when the circumstances prove otherwise. It is this Jesus wanted to teach the disciples. The circumstances were hard to believe that it was Jesus. But it here he wanted them to believe. And History proves every now and again that it is those who believe and trust that survive the ordeals. Amen.

Fr. Showreelu Simham