1 Kings 19:9, 11-13/ Romans 9:1-5/ Matthew 14:22-33
It is said that the longer you keep doing the same thing, the better and faster you will be at it.
That is quite true in most cases and that statement is similar to saying that practice makes perfect.
So it can be true for most cases. And if that is true for most cases, I wonder if I am an exceptional case.
I am a teenage priest, meaning to say that my priesthood is in the teenage years.
When I first started off as a priest, things were difficult.
Homilies were not easy to prepare – there was more perspiration than inspiration.
I was an “eager-beaver” and tried to say “yes” to everything and then realized that I don’t have the time for anything.
I thought that I would learn from the mistakes of my “youth” and as I get along, things will be easier and smoother and I will get things done faster and better.
So I thought. But it is like saying that as I grow older, I will have lesser temptations, which is certainly not the case (whether with me or with you).
An old priest jokingly told me: Now I don’t entertain bad thoughts.
I am too old for that. Instead, the bad thoughts entertain me!
So much for wishful thinking that life would be easier as we get older.
Hence, it is understandable that we entertain ourselves with consoling thoughts. Or be it that the consoling thoughts entertain us.
Whatever it may be, we like to think that once we have found the solution to life’s challenges and difficulties then we can relax and feel secure.
So in coming to Church, we are turning to God whom we believe will protect us and save us from the turmoils of life.
But what if we believe in God and yet our troubles and difficulties won’t go away.
Or for that matter, things become worse!
That was the case for prophet Elijah in the 1st Reading. We may wonder why he spent the night in a cave.
Earlier on he had scored a victory over the 450 false prophets of the idol Baal at Mt Carmel and he put them to death.
We might think that now he is the feared prophet of God. But his enemies have turned around and are now pursuing him to take his life and he was hiding in the cave.
So things weren’t getting better for him, in fact, it was getting worse. And God was supposed to protect him.
And even for the disciples of Jesus, it was not smooth sailing. We heard in the gospel that the boat they were in was caught in a storm.
Things were so rough that when Jesus walked on the water towards them, they thought he was a ghost and were terrified and cried out in fear.
When Jesus identified Himself and told them not to fear, Peter, wanting to be hero, called out to Jesus: Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.
We, of course, won’t ask Jesus to let us walk on water. We have other things to ask for.
We would tell Jesus “Heal me of my sickness” or “Bless me with a good fortune” or “Help me get that job or get a promotion”.
Yes, we have other things to ask for, instead of walking on water.
But when we don’t get what we want, we get dejected and disappointed with God.
And like Peter, we begin to sink into the waters of despair.
Yet, asking Jesus to help us walk on water may not be as ridiculous as it seems.
In the waters of life, with all its undercurrents and torrents, it’s either we sink or we swim.
But Jesus wants us to do more than that. Because when we believe in Him, He will help us walk on the waters of life.
And when we get frightened and distressed and start to sink, then like Peter we must cry out “Lord! Save me!”
These three words “Lord! Save me!” are words we must keep repeating over and over again.
And Jesus will stretch out His hand and tell us: Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid!
That is all we need to hear in the midst of the storms and the murky waters of life.
These three words “Lord! Save me!” is the shortest prayer we can ever say and it is also one of the most powerful prayer we can ever say.
It is said that the longer you keep doing the same thing, the better you will be at it.
Well, in that case, the more often we say that prayer “Lord! Save me!” the higher Jesus will lift us up till we can walk on water.
If we call Jesus our Saviour, then naturally our prayer to Him is “Lord! Save me!”