Sunday:       19 TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Date:         August 8, 1999
Year:         A
The readings: [Is. 1 Kgs. 19:9, 11-3; Rom. 9:1-5; Mt. 14:22-33]
The message:  MY EYES ARE SET ON THE LORD.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  1206

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Good morning! Considering your number, my spirit rejoices to see so many faithful men, women and children who are united together to nourish their souls on the richness of the Word of God for the glory of the Lord.

Today's three readings hold a spiritual message for each and everyone of us. They teach us the importance of being spiritually minded by setting our eyes on the Lord God at all times.

In the First Reading, we heard that the prophet Elijah had gone into hiding. Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, had sent a messenger to Elijah, informing him of her intent to kill him. Fearing for his life, Elijah fled to a cave at Horeb the mount of God where he stayed for forty days. During that time, an angel of the Lord came to him every day, providing him with cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water.

While on the mountain, the voice of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord for He was about to pass by. Having his eyes set on the Lord, Elijah obeyed.

While waiting for the Lord, there was a great wind that split the mountains and broke the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, followed by fire. But the Lord was not in the earthquake, nor in the fire. Then there was the sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out to stand at the entrance of the cave.

Then, the voice of the Lord came to Elijah. In the presence of the Lord, we hear Elijah pouring out his heart to the Lord. Expressing his zeal to serve the Lord, the God of hosts, Elijah shared his sadness that the Israelites had forsaken God's Covenant, thrown down His altars and killed His prophets. Now, he was alone and they were seeking him out to take his life.

During Elijah's moment of human weakness because of fear and persecution, the Lord God told him what to do. Trusting in the almightiness of the Lord God, Elijah left to obey the Lord.

In the Second Reading, we heard of another person who was saddened because of Israel's unbelief and rejection of the Lord. This time, it was St. Paul. Expressing the great love that he had for his own countrymen who had not kept their eyes on the Lord, St. Paul said that he was willing to undergo the worst possible fate, being cut off from Christ, if such could possibly save his own people.

In his own words, Paul echoed the prayer of Moses for the disobedient Israelites, that he be blotted out of the book of life that they might be forgiven. [Ex. 32:32]

In this reading, Paul reminds his people of seven privileges that they had received from God during their history.

(1) They were God's chosen people, having been adopted by God as the "son of God." [Ex. 4:22; Is. 1:2; Hos. 11:1] They belonged to a nation that had a special relationship with God.

(2) They had enjoyed the glory of God manifested in the presence of Yahweh in the desert Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple. [Ex.40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11]

(3) They belonged to a people that enjoyed many Covenants. There was the Covenants made with Abraham, being renewed through Isaac, Jacob and Moses. [Gen. 15:18, 26:2-5, 28:1-3, 32:29; Ex. 24:7-8]

(4) They enjoyed the privilege of the expression of God's Divine will that was given through the Law to Moses. (Ex. 20:1-7; Deut. 5:1-21)

(5) They enjoyed the worship of Yahweh in the Temple. This holy worship was different from the idolatry of the surrounding nations that often included prostitution and human sacrifice. Their ceremonial ritual was associated with the laws that are found in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus.

(6) They enjoyed God's promises to Abraham [Rom. 4:13-20], to Isaac [Rom. 9:9], to Moses [Dt. 18:18-9]. This includes all the promises of the New Covenant [Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 11:19-20, 18:31, 36:26-7] The promises of the New Covenant had their beginning through Jesus Christ and are being fulfilled today through the Sacraments of the holy Catholic Church.

(7) They enjoyed their association to the patriarchs, its ancestral heritage, still worshipping the God of their fathers.

Knowing all this because his eyes were set on the Lord Jesus, St. Paul was deeply grieved. By the grace of God, he had the spiritual knowledge and understanding of the treasure that his people possessed. His deepest desire was to relate this spiritual knowledge and understanding to his people so they would also set their eyes on the Lord God.

Today's reading from the Gospel of Matthew bring us more examples of the necessity to set our eyes on God. Dismissing the crowd and the disciples, Jesus went up the mountain by Himself to pray. There, in His moment of solitude, He set His eyes on the Heavenly Father for the fulfillment of the Divine Will.

A little further in the reading of the Gospel, we heard Jesus calling Peter to come to Him while He was walking on the water. Setting His eyes on the Lord Jesus in faith, Peter walked towards Him. But when Peter panicked because of the strong wind, fearing the wind rather than trusting in the Lord, he began to sink. He had taken his eyes away from the Lord. As long as he had his eyes on the Lord, he was safe.

Our spiritual life is similar to walking on the water. The water is not always calm. At times there are waves. But as long as our eyes are set on the Lord, we are safe. If we take our eyes away from Him for a moment, trusting in our own human abilities, we experience storms, failures and fears.

But there is a great joy in always knowing that the Lord Jesus, having lived on earth in human form, understands our human weaknesses. He is always there for us, coming to the rescue if we will take the time to call on him. It is when He comes to our rescue that we finally perceive who Jesus really is, that He is the Son of God.

By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no salvation by anyone else but through the Most Holy Name of Jesus. As long as we obey His teachings, actively belong to the Holy Catholic Church that He has instituted on earth, receive the Church Sacraments as He commanded, we are assured that in the end, because our eyes are set on the Lord Jesus, we will be saved.

This week, let us take the time to set our eyes on the Lord. If we experience a moment of despair in whatever we are doing, let us withdraw for a few moments and ask the Lord to help us by guiding us in His Divine ways. Then, let us humbly submit ourselves to His Divine Will, obeying the inspiration that He implants in our hearts. Being spiritually minded, we will come to the realization that when we set our eyes on the Lord, He will bless us with an inner peace and joy that will help us to spiritually grow in the fruit of the Spirit of God.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Go out and stand on the mountain before the lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces 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 sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave." [1 Kgs. 19:9, 11-13]

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Second Reading...

"I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. 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 own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God be blessed forever. Amen." [Rom. 9:1-5]

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Gospel Reading...

"Immediately after feeding the crowd with the five loaves and two fish, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning Jesus came walking toward them 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 in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.' Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' Jesus said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'" [Mt. 14:22-33]

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