Reflection for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

        There is a significant difference between having faith and living by faith. Those who have faith trust in God, believing that all eventually will work for the good;  those who live by faith, on the other hand, depend upon God for their moment-to-moment existence, knowing that however close to the edge they might get, God will stand with them to save, to comfort, to heal.  The transition between these two kinds of faith comes through love and experience — especially through hardship and deprivation.  A sheltered, carefree life makes it is easy to assume that God will continue to provide more of the same.  Only by surviving a few “storms,” however, is it possible to throw oneself upon God’s mercy, crying out: “Lord, save me!”

 

        As Peter walked from the boat towards Jesus, he made the transition from having faith to living by faith. “Having faith” may have worked while he was in the boat.  Once he began to sink, however, he needed a living faith — a faith that would allow him to entrust himself to the Lord, no matter how dark the night or how high the waves.

 

        Peter found God in a dramatic moment in his life.  And God is truly present in these moments.  But we also need to find him in the more subtle ways that God speaks — through the voice of a friend or co-worker; through the reflective thoughts of our own mind and conscience; or here at this Mass as God speaks most passionately about his love and his desires for us.  

 

        Strengthen our faith, O Lord, that we may grasp your outstretched hand.