Get Out of the Boat! - Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

When I was a senior in high school, it was all the rage to include a quote or saying under our yearbook picture.  But when the time came for me to choose my quote, I was speechless.  Imagine that.  I considered lines from favorite songs, epic movies and thought-provoking books, but nothing resonated with me.  I wanted something aspirational, something that would inspire me to do great things in the future.  But I was stumped, so I did what any smart kid would do – I asked my mother – and without missing a beat, my mother said, “You can’t walk on water if you don’t get out of the boat.”   That was it.  That was my quote; and little did I know that some thirty-plus years later, that quote would be the message of today’s Gospel.

In our Gospel, we find the disciples adrift at sea, tossed about by the wind and waves.  When they think they see a ghost approaching on the water, Jesus identifies himself, but Peter wants proof.  He tells Jesus to command him to come to Jesus on the water.  The rest is history.  Jesus says, “Come.”  Peter gets out of the boat and walks on water, that is, until his belief in Jesus was overcome by his belief in gravity. 

     

          Jesus calls every one of us to get out of the boat and come to him.  While he’s always willing to meet us wherever we are, even in our God-forsaken places, Jesus calls us to come where he is so we can reach our full potential, do great things and become all that we’re meant to be.  Think of it this way, all parents are delighted when our children begin to crawl, but we’re not satisfied; we encourage our children to walk and then to run.  It’s the same with Jesus – he’s always calling us to greater things.  Now, Jesus doesn’t call us to abandon who we are; he calls us to perfect who we are, “to allow his grace to transform our hearts in his love”[1] so we can become God-like, just as we were created to be.  Jesus didn’t call Peter to dazzle the disciples either; he called Peter “to teach them that trusting in God would carry them where they never dreamed they would go.”[2]

          Jesus calls.  So, what are we waiting for?  Well, the short answer is we’re afraid.  We’re afraid of failure, of criticism, of not fitting in.  We may even be afraid for our physical safety.  In the end, we’re afraid to live our faith openly and honestly; we’re afraid to take risks and try new things – we’re afraid to get out of the boat.  But if we call ourselves Christians, we have no excuse.  “Jesus was completely honest with people; he always urged them to see how difficult it was to follow him before they set out upon the Christian way.”[3]  Christianity isn’t a safe religion.  Jesus made that perfectly clear, and if you don’t believe me, consider the 90,000 Christians martyred last year.  But from an eternal perspective, Christianity is our safe place; it’s our hope; it’s our salvation.  So, we have to remember that “[t]he one who says, “Come!” does not abandon those who respond.”[4]  When Peter began to sink, Jesus was right there to catch him.  He’s there for us, too.  If our Gospel teaches us anything, it teaches us that Christians are called “to venture out into the full fury of life’s storm and leave our fantasies of security behind,”[5] but at the same time, to trust the words of our Psalm: “Near indeed is his salvation.”

That brings us back to our challenge.  We have no excuse.  Jesus is calling; it’s time to get out of the boat.  “Our world is in desperate need of witnesses to the possibility of living Gospel values.”[6]  

-         If you fear that our children and young adults are losing faith in the face of moral relativism, get out of the boat.  Jesus is calling you to become a catechist or a leader in our youth and young adult programs;

-         If you see growing poverty and isolation in our community, get out of the boat. Jesus is calling you to join the good works of our Knights of Columbus, our home-bound, social concerns, nursing home or prison ministries.

-         If you mourn a broken relationship, get out of the boat. Jesus is calling you to make the first move and reconcile with your lost brother or sister.

-         If you’re sick and tired of hatred and violence like I am, let’s get out of the boat together!   Jesus is calling us to model love and peace in all that we say and do, and post online.

Whether it be in the tiny whispering sound that Elijah heard on Mount Horeb, in the anguish Saint Paul felt in his conscience, in a powerful homily delivered by a handsome deacon, or in any other way that God chooses to communicate with us, Jesus is calling each one of us to break out of our comfort zones and bear witness to him to the world.

          As I look back on my life since high school, that little quote has served me well.  I’ve been to places I never imagined I would go; I’ve done things I never thought I would do; and I’ve met incredible people from all walks of life I never presumed I would meet.   I hope that, along the way, I’ve answered Jesus’ call every once in a while, too, though you may be wishing that I had just stayed in the boat.  Jesus is calling every one of us to bear witness to him to the world in our own unique ways.  He may not be calling us to walk on water, but he’s definitely calling us to get out of the boat.

Readings:  1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85; Romans 9: 1-5; Matthew 14: 22-33

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[1] Jude Winkler, New St. Joseph Handbook for Proclaimers of the Word, Liturgical Year A, 2017 (New Jersey, Catholic Book Publishing, 2016) at 285.

[2]  Mary McGlone, “Walk Like the Master,” National Catholic Reporter, vol. 53, no. 21 (July 28-August 10, 2017) at 19.

[3] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) at 125.

[4] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers:  On Earth as it is in Heaven, Matthew, Year A (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2004) at 250.

[5] Michael Simone, “Tune Out the Noise,” America, vol. 217, no. 3 (August 7, 2017) at 50.

[6] McGlone.