Knowing the Lord, Recognizing Him, and Following Him

19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

[ Matthew 14: 22-33 ]

There is a video on the internet that has captured the scene of a dog reuniting with its master after a long time. Initially, the dog did not recognize the master – it was afraid and was barking at a safe distance away. Then the dog began to find some sense of familiarity in the ‘stranger’. And when the dog finally recognized the master, it sprung up to him wagging its tail with great joy.

A dog reuniting with the master.

In the Gospel reading this Sunday, Peter and other disciples were battling the heavy sea and the headwind on their own. In midst of the commotion, Jesus came to them walking on water. Terrified, they thought they had seen a ghost. Finally, Peter managed to recognize the Lord when Jesus called out to him [Mt 14: 27], “Courage! It is I!”

Jesus walks on water towards His disciples.

Here are two points for our further reflection:

   (1) In good times and in times of consolation, when we feel God’s presence in our lives, then we must seek the Lord while He is still to be found, we must call to Him while He is still near [Is 55: 6]. We must familiarize ourselves with His Voice, His Way and His Truth. We need to learn to know Him more dearly (by listening to His voice through the Scriptures and the Teaching of the Church), love Him more intensely (by frequent receiving of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist), follow Him more closely (by living His commandments of love), and serve Him more passionately (by sharing His love to the world).

   (2) In bad times and in times of desolation, when God seems to be distant or even absent in our lives, we must remember that God has not deserted us. We must be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord [Ps 27: 14]. Yes, the Lord will come, but will we be able to recognize Him? Like the dog, like Elijah in the First Reading [1 K 19: 9, 11-13] and like Peter, we cannot recognize our Lord and Master unless we have a profound relationship and a deep communion with Him. The more in tune and attuned we are to His Voice, His Way and His Truth, the easier we will be able to recognize Him. The more in tune and attuned we are to Jesus our Lord, the less likely we will mistake the Lord for a ‘ghost’, or worse still, mistake a ‘ghost’ for the Lord!

Let our fervent prayer be:

   “Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be more in tune and attuned to Your Voice, Your Way and Your Truth.”

Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.

   [Note: This Gospel reflection was first published on Porta Fidei, Gospel Reflection, 9 Aug 2020.]