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Homily
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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – A – August 9, 2020
In the 1960s and 70s, Hollywood invented a new kind of suspense movie genre known as the "disaster films." One of them was "The Towering Inferno" about people trapped in a burning skyscraper. Another was "Airport" about a Chicago airport paralyzed by a blizzard while an airliner in distress approaches for an emergency landing.
Probably the most popular disaster film was “The Poseidon Adventure.” It tells the story of the passengers of an ocean liner off the coast of Crete. On New Years Eve, an underwater earthquake causes a powerful tsunami that topples the ship.
As the surviving passengers pick themselves up and survey their new and surreal environment inside an upside-down ship, many realize that because the ship's normal exits are now under water, a new way out is required. A new way of thinking is needed.
In the midst of this new reality, three distinct groups are formed among the passengers. Each group has hope, but hope that is grounded differently. The first group has hope that they will be rescued, but they realize that their salvation lies upwards, to the hull of the ship, which is now above water. And, so the group does something: They discern a path to take, and act on their hope.
For the second group, they too have hope, but hope grounded in a disregard for the new realities of their lives. For them, salvation will come to them on their terms, and all they need do is sit back and wait. As the flooding waters grow, they discover their decision is the wrong one.
The third group is encountered further along in the movie, in the ship’s central passage. They have the right idea in going up to the hull, but they’re going to the front of the ship when they should be going to the back where the hull is thinner. These passengers have set out on the right track, but are now listening to the wrong voices who lead them to danger. They have hope, but a hope rooted in faulty discernment.
Those three groups of Poseidon survivors, placed in a theological context, may very fittingly illustrate the groups in which we place ourselves with regards to faith and reason. One group has faith, but defective reasoning, and so they sit and do nothing. Another has reasoned correctly at first, but they grow cynical; they won’t budge when others try to help. They need tangible proof to change their direction; their reason has overridden the urgings of the heart. But, the group whose strong faith in being rescued, tempered by wise, discerning reasoning on the workings of their environment is the group that survives. While salvation would be freely given by the rescuers, they still needed to do something to prepare themselves to receive it. It's this kind of hope built through lively faith and discerning intellect that conquers the fear we may have when disasters come our way.
Water symbolizes many positive things. It can quench thirst, sustain life, cleanse us, or cool us down on a hot day. Water has such a positive symbolic value that we use it in Baptism, the sacrament by which we begin the road to heaven.
Water can sustain life, but it can also destroy life. People in ancient times feared the sea so much, they saw it as the home of violent gods. The Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, was moody and violent. When he was angry, they imagined him hitting the earth with his trident, causing an earthquake.
Today, in our Gospel, Jesus uses this ancient fear of water as a teaching moment for us. The Sea of Galilee sits in a rift valley, which makes it prone to violent wind storms. Even for the disciples, water represented the living place of demons and evil gods.
But, it is over these violent waters that Jesus walks. And, by the power of Jesus, Peter himself could walk, but only for a moment. Jesus came to Peter and enabled him to face his fears by showing him that he could walk on water – that he could rise above chaos and death. But, Peter’s faith is still very weak.
This teaching event shows us the power of God – a power that comes to us, helps us walk over the chaos of life. And, when those troubles overwhelm us, it is Jesus who is there to save us. It is Jesus that helps us back into the boat.
In the midst of a chaotic world, we are all sometimes like Elijah, looking for God, looking for that source of salvation. But, sometimes we aren't searching in the right direction.
Sometimes life can be filled with so many voices, so many loud sounds calling us in all different directions. There are times when we would desperately enjoy hearing God speak. We often look for the huge signs and miss the God who whispers to us. Like Elijah climbing the high mountain, we too desire to hear the voice of God telling us that we’re doing the right thing, that we’re raising our kids properly or answering our vocation correctly. We want that reassurance that we’re headed in the right direction.
The invitation given to both Elijah and Peter is the invitation given to us today. God is with us in a very calming way to be our refuge from the storms of our lives. He calls us each by name, but frequently with a gentle whisper. Jesus is the savior who calls to us over the mighty winds to join him on the other side. In doing so, Jesus shows us that he is more powerful than any earthly force. If we can only cultivate a firm trust in that divine power, expressed in the prayers of the Church, whose members are all in the same boat, as it were, we too can gain the power to rise above the chaos and disasters of life. With Jesus, we can walk on water too.