First reading:
1 Kings 19:9a,11-13a

Horeb may refer to Mt. Sinai, or it could be the region in which the mountain was located.  There are many details in this story to recall the appearance of God to Moses in this same locale.  Moses, too, was placed “in the hollow of the rock” and God covered Moses with His hand (Ex 33:22), just as Elijah “came to a cave” and “hid his face in his cloak” on the same mountain of God. 

Elijah escaped from the wrath of Jezebel, the queen of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Reminiscent of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness to escape the wrath of the Pharaoh, it took Elijah forty days and nights to arrive.  Forty (days or years) signified preparation for a divine mission that affected the salvation of God’s people.  Elijah will be given three tasks to complete in the following verses.  The encounter with God on this same mountain sent the people of the Exodus and Elijah back to the land, which had been given to them.  Wind, earthquake and fire are signs of nature that indicated divine presence in the Scriptures.  The word for “sound” is the same as that for “voice” in Hebrew.  Both Moses and Elijah heard the voice of the Lord.  The Hebrew name Elijah means “my god is Yahweh,” the Name that was revealed to Moses.

Second reading:
Romans 9:1-5

These verses begin a new section in the Letter to the Romans.  Paul uses the same vocabulary to describe his response to the rejection of Christ by Israel as the prophets did about the rejection of God by Israel, “sorrow” and “anguish” (see Is 35:10, 51:11).  He lists seven things that belong to the Jews: adoption, glory, covenants, the Law, worship, the promises (of God) and the Patriarchs.  Covenants is in the plural to emphasize the effort of God to saty in touch with His people throughout their history of infidelity and rejection of Him.  Paul’s wish to be “accursed and cut off from Christ” for the sake of the people recalls the image of Moses and the Servant of the Lord in Deutero-Isaiah. 

Gospel : Matthew 14:22-33

The story of creation begins with the deep waters of chaos.  It is the presence and command of God that puts everything in its proper relationship and place.  Jesus stays in communion with God the Father.  He goes to “the mountain by Himself to pray.”  It was the place where Moses and Elijah heard the voice of God to continue their mission to the people. 

Peter is invited to share the same divine prerogative over nature – to walk on water.  We still use it today as an idiom of doing something impossible.  The Old Testament speaks of the dominance of God over the waters in many places.  Peter obeys the command of Jesus to leave the boat, just as he was invited to “come after me” in Mt 4:19.  He renews the invitation of discipleship.  But the storms of life and doubt still surrounded Peter.  It is the presence of the Lord that saves Peter from being lost in the turmoil that threatens and distracts him from the vision and faith in Jesus.  Jesus helps him even in his weakness.  In fact, that is the point of the evangelist telling this story.  Jesus saves us despite our inadequate faith! 

The combination of “do not fear” and “it is I” is used in the Old Testament as a divine introduction (e.g., Gn 15:1, 46:3; Is 41:13, 43:1,3).  Jesus demonstrates dominance over the forces of nature and the chaos that still threatens others.  His presence provides the invitation to

The passage closes with the profession of faith that identifies a member of the Church: “Truly, your are the Son of God.”  It is that profession of faith and recognition of Jesus as more than just a great teacher in ancient times that has inspired the lives of our martyrs and saints throughout history.  They were people, who left the safety of their homes and families to lead us to that same profession of faith. 

Being in stormy seas can make you a really prayerful person!  I was out in five and six footers across Lake Erie.  Absolutely everything in the cabin of the boat ended up on the floor.  You cannot be distracted by the flurry of activity in your own little space, when you are facing a much greater threat.  High seas will help put things in order of importance.  There will be time later to put back everything in the drawers and shelves.  I was very grateful after a long time being tossed about on the water to arrive at my destination in the harbor inside the breakwater.  I think that I may have kissed the ground, when I finally secured the boat and walked on the good earth again! 

Jesus doesn’t end all the storms of life, when He appears.  He even sends us across the troubled seas, where He will come to meet us.  Things get tossed about in life, and everything that we have carefully put in place gets jostled about or even broken.  But if we continue to stay focused on His presence, we will reach our destination safely with a new appreciation of the lasting values in life and not be distracted and confined to the smaller world of our own making.