XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!

Readings: 1 Kings 19:9,11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Mt 14:22-33

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid”: this wonderful reassurance of today’s Gospel (Mt 14:22-33) pierces our darkness, dispels our fears, erases our anxieties. We are in a society marked by fear and turmoil: fear of the present, of social unrest, of crime, of wars, of diseases, of aging, and above all of death, this tragic event that summarizes all our anxieties; the frenzy of a life always on the run, crushed by work and a thousand daily worries, incapable of pauses and contemplation. In this context of existential stress, today’s liturgy presents us with the God of Peace and Serenity. In the first reading (1 Kings 19:9,11-13), to the prophet Elijah, who is fleeing from Jezebel who wants his death (1 Kings 19:1-3), God reveals Himself on the mountain that had been the scene of the theophany to Moses (Ex 32-33): and just as Moses had experienced God in the sweet and delicate sign of the cloud (Ex 34:5), so now Elijah does not find God in the “mighty and strong wind splitting mountains and breaking rocks”, nor in the “earthquake”, nor in the “fire”, but in the “whisper of a light breeze”. What an image of delicacy, gentleness, and tranquility!

In the Gospel, to a Church “battered by waves, because of the contrary wind” (Mt 14:24), in the “night” (Mt 14:25), “troubled”, which “cries out in fear” (Mt 14:26) and which “begins to sink” (Mt 14:30), Christ appears in the Paschal context of a new Exodus. The terror of the disciples recalls that of Israel facing Pharaoh and his army (Ex 14:13), the strong wind of Lake Gennesaret recalls the one that opens the Red Sea (Ex 14:21), Jesus walking on water recalls the Lord who passes over the waters with invisible footprints (Ps 77:20; Is 43:11), the “fourth watch of the night” (Mt 14:25) refers to the “morning watch” when the Lord routs the Egyptian horses and charioteers (Ex 14:24), and finally the “I am” with which Jesus presents Himself is the proclamation of the divine Name as at Sinai (Ex 3:14).

Peace and joy always, in the heart of the believer, arise from the awareness and certainty of Christ’s Paschal victory over sin, disease, and death. Jesus calls us to live in serenity and peace: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 14:27) is the exhortation that accompanies every manifestation of the Lord (Tob 12:17; Is 35:4; 44:8; 17:7; 28:20; Lk 1:13,30; 5:10; 8:50; 12:13; 12:4,7; Acts 27:24; Rev 1:17…).

In the “Sermon on the Mount”, three times Jesus repeats “do not worry” (Mt 6:25,28,34): “merimnein” is a verb that expresses psychological stress, worry, obsession, restlessness, anxiety. Perhaps we could better translate Jesus’ invitation with: “Do not be anxious!”. Jesus comes to free us from our fears, proclaiming to us God’s love that overcomes all our suffering, and of which we can catch some small sign in the Providence that cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field: “Are you not worth more than they?” (Mt 6:26; 10:29-31).

Francis de Sales stated that, after sin, anxiety is the worst evil that can happen. Truly believing in God’s love means casting out anxiety from within us: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…, and whoever fears is not perfect in love” (1 Jn 4:18); “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will… anguish?” (Rom 8:35,37).

But the second reading (Rom 9:1-5) prevents us from reducing our faith to an intimate interior quietism: Paul, in love with Christ, would even prefer to be “anathema”, excommunicated by Him, provided his Jewish brothers can be saved. The peace and serenity of Christ do not close the disciple in on himself, but launch him towards all people, making him ready to lose himself for his brothers and sisters.