August 13, 2023

Homily by Deacon Bob Fishman. Full transcript: https://cathedralpod.ntsm.io/index.php?name=2023-08-13_2023-08-13.mp3

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Please remember, this is a transcript of a homily that was intended to be heard, not read. Thank you for your understanding.

The date was October 22, 1978. It was a cold and cloudy day in Rome. Not long before, white smoke could be seen issuing forth from the Vatican, indicating that the church had selected a new pope. As thousands waited in the courtyard and millions more watched on TV, a small figure appeared on the balcony. His first words were, "Do not be afraid." The man, of course, Pope St. John Paul the second. Later in the same address, he would tell the world, "Do not be afraid to be holy."

I tell you this because in today's readings, we are given three stories about great men who conquered their fears. So let us break open these gems of Scripture and see what jewels we can find there together. Are you ready? Here we go.

In our first reading, we have a great story of Elijah. Now if you have never read the stories of Elijah, oh baby, you got to read these. They're great. They're from 1 Kings. So if you can remember the word kings, you go home, you crack open your Bible. Great stuff. This passage opens up after Elijah has battled 450 priests of Baal. It was 450 against one and he defeated them soundly by calling down fire from heaven. It is definitely exciting and well worth the read, you won't be disappointed.

Here the great prophet is taking refuge in a cave on Mount Sinai. This is the same mountain that Moses received the 10 Commandments on. Jezebel, who is an evil queen, is seeking to kill Elijah for defeating her priests. All right. I'm going to take a brief break in the action here because I want to share with you a word that I learned and I want to share it with you. The word is Theophany. Theophany. Say it with me. Theophany. Good. It means that God manifests his glory or his radiance in some way to interact with man.

And Elijah is told that the Lord will be passing by and this is the Theophany. So as God is revealing himself to Elijah in a physical way, Elijah waits. And first there's a strong wind. Then an earthquake. Then there's a fire. And in all these great calamities, God is not in them. Then Elijah hears a still small whispering voice and knows that this is the voice of God. So he takes his cloak and covers his head because no one can look upon God and live according to the scriptures at that time. And it is here that he receives instruction from God. Again, read these stories for yourself. They are really, really good.

So what can we learn from all of this? Well, often in our own lives, there are all kinds of loud distractions, anxieties, fears that can try to separate us from God. There is turbulence all around us in the media, in society, even in our own souls. Do not look for God in all the noise. Instead, quiet your spirit, spend time in the presence of our Lord and listen to that still small whispering voice of God. It's not easy yet the very God who created the cosmos, who created the universe wants to have discourse with you, with you. The question is, do you want to talk to him? Are you listening? Or is there just too much noise in your life?

Do not be afraid. Do you know that phrase appears in scripture three hundred and sixty five times? Once for every day of the year. And man, do we need to hear it! At least I do. So God opens up this pathway and gives us instruction not to be afraid of him. The one who knew you in the womb has a plan for your life. Are you listening?

In our second reading, St. Paul is fearful that the very people he longs to save, his Jewish family and friends have rejected Christ and could potentially be lost. They were given the law, the promises, the patriarchs, the prophets, and yet they refuse to see. I have experienced this personally. As many of you know, I'm a Jewish convert to the faith and the rest of my family and relatives are all still Jewish and I always pray for them. Many of you have family members who no longer go to church, even have after receiving the Eucharist, even after the sacraments, the graces of Mass, they walked away. What do we do? Be not afraid.

Turn to the Lord. Our job as our Lord has been reminding us is to scatter the seed of Christ by how we live, offering ourselves and our families to Jesus, asking him to tear down the walls and soften the hearts of those we love, allow them to hear his voice and return to the faith. It's not easy, and it may not even happen in our lifetime, but we persevere. We continue to pray. We continue to fast. We continue to uplift our family and friends and always, always, always. Be a source of hope, a source of hope for them. When the time is right, God will work in their lives. So stay strong and be not afraid. Amen? [congregation: "Amen!"] Yeah, I almost caught you sleeping there.

In our gospel passage, we are given the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. In our first reading, we learned about the word theophany. Here we have a theophany as well. Whenever we encounter Christ or he allows his divinity to shine through, it is called a Christophany, Christophany. And this is one of those times. A few points here. First, notice that the ship that the apostles are in is being battered by storms and waves. It is the fourth watch of the night. What does that mean? Well, according to Roman time, the fourth watch was roughly about 4 a.m. in the morning. Jesus has prayed all night and is now seen walking on the water.

The disciples think it's a ghost and on top of everything else, on top of their ship being battered and blown around and they're afraid of sinking. Now they see a figure walking on the water. And man, are they scared! Jesus tells them to take courage and be not afraid. Peter, seeing that it's the Lord, asks if he can come to him on the water. And Jesus says, "Come," and Peter steps out of the boat. This is an incredibly brave thing. I think this is even better than the miracle of walking on the water. Why? Because it takes guts, fortitude to stick your foot over the side of the boat into a stormy sea and take a step. Keeping his eyes on Jesus, he too begins to walk on the water. However, as soon as he takes his eyes off of Jesus and starts to look at the waves and the storm, he begins to sink. And Jesus rescues him and leads him back to the boat.

This is a great lesson for us. God wants all of us to come to him, especially when the storms in our lives are really going at it. He reaches out his hand and he grabs us and leads us back into the boat. This can be a reference to the church as well. The bark or the boat of Peter, we must not take our eyes off of Jesus, remain faithful to his teachings and those of his church. If we do this, then we will be saved and the storms will die down and we too will recognize that Jesus truly is the Son of God. With Jesus in our boat, we'll reach the other side safely.

How wonderful it is to be Catholic, to have all the graces and the beauty and the richness of our faith. Don't get caught up in the storms. Don't get caught up in the wind and in the earthquake and in the fire. But stay focused on Christ. And with him at the center of all that we do, we will make it home safe and sound. You were born for this time. Do not be afraid.

So this week, let us spend time listening to that still, small, whispering voice of our Lord. Let us pray and fast for our family and friends who may not know the Lord or have wandered away from Him. And finally, let us trust in Jesus. And as the great Pope himself said, "Be not afraid to be holy."