Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 9th August 2020
Gospel Matthew 14: 22–33
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’
It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come,’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God’.
Gospel Reflection from St Beuno's Outreach
As I prepare to pray, I entrust any distractions to the Lord, asking for his help in directing my full attention towards him. I may find it helpful to focus on my breathing as I slow down.
When ready, I read this familiar Gospel, mulling over any image or word that touches me today. Perhaps I identify with Jesus’s desire to seek a peaceful place to pray to the Father.
I may like to place myself in the scene if this is helpful, pondering how this might be speaking to me now.
What fears are there as I battle the wind and waves? How do I feel as I see the figure walking towards me: reassured ... bewildered ... still more fearful ...? Perhaps this changes as I hear Jesus’s familiar voice saying, ‘It is I!’
How do I respond to Jesus’s invitation to step out of the boat and go to him?
Perhaps I now focus on watching and hearing Jesus and Peter ... and notice how I feel as Jesus gets into the boat.
I speak to Jesus about all of this and share with him any anxieties I have at the moment. I listen to what Jesus may have to say to me.
As I express my thanks for this time spent with the Lord, I end with an Our Father...
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