Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33]"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." [Matthew]
There is an old saying, "Be careful what you pray for. You may get it." Peter may think he is testing Jesus, but the opposite is true. Peter will be the one who is tested. He fails the test and Jesus has to rescue him, but seems to do so with affection. But Peter is like many of us. Prayer becomes a test of God instead of a relationship of love. Those whom we love don't always act the way we would like them to. Our demands can seem foolish when we put a friend to the test and discover that the problem rested with us and not with the friend.
This weekend I am preaching a retreat for candidates in formation to become Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Lubbock, TX, where I live. The decision to enter this program is a bit like walking on the water. They may be "testing" to see if it is really the Lord who is calling them to this ministry, but the test is really on them to see, indeed, if that call is present. The discernment is a two-sided process. Those who are most unsure may indeed be called and those who are most sure of themselves will learn from the formators that the call is not really there. It takes strong faith on the part of the candidate and his wife since both are involved in the process of discernment.
In the midst of life's storms, if we maintain faith, Jesus will come and get in the boat with us. We don't have to test him. He may come in an unusual way, riding above the storm, but he will come. It is when we test God that we discover how weak our faith can be. Yet, Peter, for all his weakness, was the one Jesus chose to be leader of the Church. It may be hard to sit still and pray in a pitching boat, but we have to do our best. AMEN
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