Vol. 38   No. 44                AUGUST  07, 2011                Cycle  A                                            XIX  SUNDAY  OF  THE  YEAR                      Why did you doubt? Take heart, it is I; have no fear   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Lord, be true to your covenant, forget not the life of your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; do not ignore the shouts of your enemies. (Ps 73:20,19,22,23) PENITENTIAL RITE The incident of Peter sinking and being saved by Jesus in today’s Gospel is clearly symbolic. Peter represents the typical disciple, caught between faith and doubt. Jesus’ rebuke, ‘Man of little faith, why did you doubt?’ is directed at each one of us, who often start out courageously only to lose heart when faced with a crisis. We should never lose sight of the fact that the One, in whom we place our trust, is the Lord, who loves and cares for us and who has authority and power over everything and everyone. Let us humbly acknowledge that we lack faith, we have failed and we have sinned; let us turn to God now and ask His pardon and mercy. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God... OPENING PRAYER Almighty and ever-living God, your Spirit made us your children, confident to call you Father. Increase your Spirit within us and bring us to our promised inheritance. Grant this… FIRST READING (Prophet Elijah, fleeing for his life, takes refuge in a cave where he encounters God, not in any spectacular manifestation, but in a tiny, whispering voice.) A reading from the First Book of the Kings    (19:9,11-13) Elijah came to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (84) Response: Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land. Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven. The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps. SECOND READING (St Paul tells us about the sorrow and anguish, he suffers because his fellow Jews refused to accept Christ as the Messiah.) A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans    (9:1-5) I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race. They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed for ever. Amen. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our heart, so that we may know the hope to which he has called us. Alleluia! (Eph 1:17-18) GOSPEL (When the Apostles are caught in strong winds and rough seas, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water. With his presence he calms their fears and brings them peace.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew    (14:22-33) Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, like Peter, we too have often set out confidently across the waters of life. However, as soon as the winds of trouble rise against us, we lose courage and begin to sink. Trusting in God’s love, care and protection, let us pray: Response: Lord, graciously hear our prayer. 1. We pray for our Pope, bishops and priests: that they may lead the people, both by word and example, as Jesus did. 2. We pray for the success of the World Youth Day in Madrid this month: that it may be a time of spiritual renewal and personal commitment for the youth all over the world. 3. We pray for children and adolescents: that they may be open to the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit and advance in wisdom and grace, as the Child Jesus did. 4. We pray for those who live in fear, those who find life difficult and whose faith is weak: that they may experience Christ’s presence. 5. We pray for the leaders of all nations: that they may have the strength to do the right thing in times of difficulty. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Lord our God, we praise and thank you for your love and care. Grant us the courage to live by the word of Christ, and the generosity to help people in need. Strengthen our little faith, so that we may walk with confidence, over the waters of danger, towards your Kingdom. We ask this...   PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS God of power, giver of the gifts we bring, accept the offering of your Church and make it the sacrament of our salvation. We ask this… PREFACE  (P 31) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. We see your infinite power in your loving plan of salvation. You came to our rescue by your power as God, but you wanted us to be saved by one like us. Man refused your friendship, but man himself was to restore it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him the angels of heaven offer their prayer of adoration as they rejoice in your presence for ever. May our voices be one with theirs in their triumphant hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Praise the Lord, Jerusalem; he feeds you with the finest wheat. (Ps 147: 12,14) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, may the Eucharist you give us bring us to salvation and keep us faithful to the light of your truth. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE In today’s Gospel, we see the Apostle Peter follow Jesus’ bidding to walk on the water. But when his faith falters, he begins to sink. In desperation he cries out to the Lord to save him. Jesus stretches out his hand to catch Peter, but expresses his disappointment over Peter’s lack of faith. In ‘The Jerome Biblical Commentary’, scripture scholar John L. McKenzie sees a symbolic significance in this incident. The Apostles in the boat personify the Church, to which Jesus is always near even when the situation is threatening. When Matthew wrote his Gospel, he was facing a real problem: many of his Jewish converts felt estranged from their former partners in faith; some of them wavered, some renounced their faith when they were excluded from the Synagogue. The doubts, that Matthew’s Church is experiencing, are expressed movingly in today’s Gospel. Jesus is praying to his Father. His followers are separated from him. It is night. They are in a boat which is battling against a rough sea and strong winds. All seems lost. The boat clearly represents the Church, while the storm represents the opposition the Church is facing. Jesus calls them and tells them not to be afraid, and then he comes to them over the water. When Peter tries to do the same, even he seems to doubt Jesus’ power and in panic he sinks. But Jesus supports him, and then asks him, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” The storm ceases. Now all the disciples acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. When Peter ‘felt the force of the wind, he was afraid and began to sink’. Matthew tells his struggling Christian community that even if their faith falters and they panic when they look at the surrounding danger, Jesus will come and save them. This is good news indeed! A boat riding the stormy waves is a striking and well-known image of the Church. The Church is the people of God, and it is constantly being threatened by every possible negative influence. To those who worry about the direction the Church takes, Jesus cries out: “Get hold of yourselves! It is I. Do not be afraid!” Jesus did not intend his Church to remain anchored offshore, through the centuries. Rather, he intended it to ride the waves of history, serving the needs of people of every age, including our own. As long us Peter kept his focus on the Lord, all went on well. As soon as he forgot about the power of Jesus and worried about the wind, he began to sink. Perhaps this is what faith means: keeping our focus on the Lord, regardless of the turmoil around us, trusting that he is always near to support us. This kind of faith is more an encounter with God than it is a belief about God. It is more an experience of the divine presence itself, than an acceptance of the dogmatic pronouncement about it. What about us? Does this Gospel have any special meaning for us, for our personal lives? It surely does. There are times when the waves of misfortune: sickness, family tragedies and financial problems, seem to engulf us. There are times when our Christian faith is deeply tried and we feel like giving up in despair. Then it is, that Jesus, who loves us more than we shall ever know, says to us: Why are you faltering? I am with you always. Do not be afraid. Christ foresaw the storm and the grave risk, his Apostles would run, when he sent them off across the lake. But that trial and the grave danger was for their own good, because they learned to realize that he was from God and they could always count on him. Our trials and our earthly ailments are also foreseen by God and permitted by Him (even if inflicted on us by a sinful fellow-being) so that they will draw us closer to Him and help us on the road to heaven. —Fr Sebastin Kattackal, ssp      August 2011                      READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK                     Psalter Week 3 08 Mon (W) St Dominic, Dt 10:12-22/ Ps 147:12-13.14-15.19-20/ Mt 17:22-27 09 Tue (R) St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)                          Dt 31:1-8/ Ps Dt 32:3-4ab. 7.8.9 and 12/ Mt 18:1-5.10.12-14 10 Wed (R) St Lawrence, Fst, 2 Cor 9:6-10/ Ps 112:1-2.5-6.7-8.9/ Jn 12:24-26 11 Thu (W) St Clare, Jos 3:7-10a.11.13-17/ Ps 114:1-2.3-4.5-6/ Mt 18:2-19:1 12 Fri (W) St Jane Frances de Chantal,                   Jos 24:1-13/ Ps 136:1-3.16-18.21-22 and 24/ Mt 19:3-12 13 Sat (R) St Hippolytus, Jos 24:14-29/ Ps 16:1-2a and 5.7-8.11/ Mt 19:13-15