Walking in the Storm – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

The Blizzard of 77.

The Blizzard of 77 was the worst snow storm to affect my hometown of Buffalo, NY.  More than four feet of snow fell in a matter of hours.  Temperatures were below zero for days; snow drifted covering houses and stranding people in their homes and cars.  Federal and state forces were marshaled to assist the area during the only instance in my lifetime when a state of emergency was called for the Buffalo area. 

I remember when the storm hit.  I was six years old and playing outside in our driveway with my friend.  We were no more than thirty feet from our side door into the house.  At one moment the sky was clear and we were playing freely.  Suddenly it became completely white and we could see nothing at all.  We managed to get to the side door only by listening to my mom’s voice yelling for us to come.  When we arrived at the side door my mom pulled us inside to safety, and we watched the snowfall for the rest of the day. 

At the time I was unaware of how much danger I was actually in; a six year old has little comprehension of such things.  However, I remember thinking that as long as I could hear my mom’s voice I would be fine and I could find my way to safety.  I knew my mom would not abandon us, and as long as she could yell we could make it to the house.  A child who has a sense of being loved really has no fear as long as they can rest content in that one fact.

Similarly, the prophet Elijah found himself in a dangerous situation in today’s first reading.  Pursued by Jezebel and a host of angry prophets of Baal, Elijah seeks refuge atop a mountain.  As he waits out the crisis, Elijah longs for the presence of God, and he encounters God in the gentle breeze, not in any of the powerful acts of nature.  Elijah found comfort in God’s presence; he knew God’s love in that moment, and it enabled him to come down from the mountain to continue his prophetic work.

Jesus often spent long hours at the mountaintop.  It was here that He found the presence of God, whether He was in danger or not.  In today’s Gospel Jesus goes atop the mountain after the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.  What danger did Jesus face?  Recall that the people wanted to carry Jesus off and make him king, an act that would be a great threat to the mission of Jesus as Messiah of the suffering servant of Israel. 

Jesus finds refuge in the love of God as Elijah did, and this enables Jesus to come down from the mountain and to walk on water in the midst of a storm.  God’s voice and loving presence enable Jesus to do what seemed impossible to the disciples, though it does lead Peter to want to try walking on water.  Peter discovers that as long as he too is aware of God’s presence and love in the person of Jesus that he too can follow the voice to a place of safety.  However, when Peter looks away from the presence and love of God in the person of Jesus, when he ceases to listen to the voice summoning him to safety, he inevitably sinks from despair and lack of faith. 

The storms of life are indeed dangerous and threatening to us.  They are also an inevitable part of every life; no one escapes the storms of life.  Today we have the lessons we need in order to weather these storms effectively.  Elijah shows us that we must retreat to the mountaintop – to the place of God’s presence and love – in order to escape from the great dangers that threaten us.  Jesus too leads us to the mountaintop as a regular place for us to encounter God’s presence and love, but only as a temporary place of refuge.  For we must inevitably return from the mountain to resume our work as disciples of the Lord Jesus.  And if we have truly encountered God’s love and presence on the mountaintop, we can walk on water in the midst of the storm.  We can accomplish great things for the kingdom of God.  We can be all that God calls us to be.

And if we find ourselves sinking into the water, if we find ourselves failing to listen to the voice of Jesus, if we fail to keep our eyes focused on God’s love and presence, we can always call out as Peter did.  And God will come.  So we gather together to pray for the help to always know God’s love and presence in our lives so that we can walk through any storm.  “Father, we come, reborn in the Spirit, to celebrate our sonship in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Touch our hearts, help them grow toward the life you have promised.  Touch our lives, make them signs of your love for all men.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”