19A SUNDAY HOMILY, MATTHEW 14: 22-33, August 09, 2026
By Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
John, a young
sailor, was asked by the captain of the sailing ship to climb to the top of the
mast when the sea was stormy. The first
half of the climb was easy. But halfway to the top, he made a mistake. He looked down at the stormy sea and grew
dizzy and was in danger of falling. The
captain called out to him to look back at the sky. John followed the captain’s
instruction and finished the climb safely.
2. GOSPEL,
MATTHEW 14:22-33
A) THE DISCIPLES
WERE IN FEAR
It was natural
for the disciples to be fearful late in the night as their boat “was being
tossed about in the waves raised by a strong wind.” Even Peter, who attempted to walk on the
water, cried out to Jesus, “Lord save me.”
B) JESUS SAVES
THE DISCIPLES
Jesus shows his
great power as he “came walking toward them on the lake.” Jesus saved the frightened and sinking Peter
as “he stretched out his hand and caught him.’ Jesus told them, “How little faith you have,”
exposing their greatest weakness which was a lack of strong faith in him.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A) FEAR IN OUR
LIVES
Just as the storm
on the lake caused the disciples to fear, so do we fear which is caused by many
storms in our lives. Here are some
storms or difficulties we encounter: poor health caused by aging or sickness,
not enough money to meet our expenses, job insecurity or job dissatisfaction,
family disharmony or worry about aging parents or children growing up properly,
difficulty in getting along with people, etc. Such fears cause unhappiness in our lives.
B) JESUS HELPS US
Just as Jesus
helped the frightened disciples, so does Jesus help us. The more we rely on Jesus, the stronger we
will be facing and overcoming our difficulties. Here are some suggestions that may help us. First, put Jesus into your mind remembering
that He loves us, cares for us, and has the power to help us. This requires us to push out of our minds the
worries that are presently bothering us. Second, speak to Jesus as Peter did say “Lord
save me.” Ask Jesus to increase our
faith in him who is our savior. We must
do this every time we are gripped with fear. Jesus will help us as he helped his disciples.
4. CONCLUSION
The captain
helped John reach the top of the mast by instructing him to look up to the sky.
Jesus helped the worried and frightened
disciples on the stormy sea and told them they needed a stronger faith in him. Jesus will continue to help us face and solve
all the problems and worries we encounter in life. We thank him for his loving care and ask him
to strengthen our faith.
