Reflection – Sunday Mass Readings
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A
Given to Lay Dominicans – August 12, 2017

How many people have seen the movie, “Apocalypse Now”? It’s a movie set in the
throws of the Vietnam War. The whole story centers around a river patrol boat that slowly snakes up a winding river into Cambodia on a top secret mission. Along the way, one of the characters named “Chef” in the boat, decides he wants to go ashore to fetch some mangoes. As he goes into the jungle looking for mangoes with Martin Sheen, they suddenly notice the jungle gets quiet. Thinking it is the enemy nearby they slowly move searching, their weapons at the ready, when out of nowhere a tiger lunges at the men. Chef freaks out and runs back to the boat screaming, they jump in the boat and take off with the crew shooting into the jungle. The whole time he keeps yelling, “Never get out of the boat! Never get out of the boat!” His fear of getting out of the boat will influence the character the rest of the movie.
In our gospel today, we also have a boat story. A boat story that will center around faith and faith in action. In the passage today, we see Jesus revealing his divinity to his apostles once again. I say once again, because the passage immediately preceding today’s reading in Matthew’s Gospel was the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. So, when Jesus comes out to meet the apostles by walking on the water, and then calming the seas brings us back to the Old Testament books of Job (Job 9:8), Habakkuk (Hab 3:15) and the Psalms. For example, in Psalm 89 we read, “Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them.” (Ps 89:9) Control of the elements is an Old Testament attribute of God. These Apostles being good Jews would know this. St. Paul makes reference to Christ’s divinity in the second reading. Jesus is also revealing himself to the apostles with direct words. When Jesus calls out to the men in the boat who confuse him as a ghost, he tells them, “It is I.” This phrase in Greek can also be translated as “I am” which is the identifier of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The apostles’ great profession of faith at the end of this passage shows they are seeing Jesus as God. But what about us? Each one of us to must see Jesus as God. We too must be able to see Jesus as Lord and Savior, the ruler of the heavens and earth, the Pantocrator. That is when we can say “Truly, you are the Son of God!” However, to say these words requires much of us. We cannot just say these words, and nothing else. To say this profession of faith ourselves, comes with responsibility! If you are a daily communicant, or read the daily mass readings on your own, on Thursday the Gospel on the Feast of St. Lawrence from St. John states, “Whoever serves me, must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” (Jn 12:26) At Friday’s mass for the memorial of St. Clair from the gospel of Matthew, it states, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16:24)  That responsibility means we cannot stay in the boat where it is safe, we must venture out into the rough seas to bring the Gospel to others! At baptism, we receive a prophetic charism which requires us to get out of the boat! Discipleship demand we get out of the boat. Discipleship demands we leave our safe-space and bring the good news to others. We cannot be like Chef and say, “never get out of the boat,” but instead be Peter and with eyes on Christ, step out.

I will share one of my boat stories with you. When I started formation in the diaconate, I chose to enter another ministry of service. This ministry was unlike anything I had ever done. This ministry was bringing communion to patients at a nursing home. This was going to be very challenging for me because of my previous history with nursing homes. When I was a teenager in the 1970’s (yes, the 1970’s) my grandparents on my father’s side owned a flower shop. I would deliver flowers for them on the weekends. At times, it involved going to nursing homes. My experience was opening the door and the smell of urine was so strong that in the couple of minutes it would take me to walk from the door to the desk and leave, my clothes were saturated with that smell the rest of the day. When I delivered flowers to a room, I noticed in some of the rooms urine on the floors under the beds. Then there was the yelling of certain patients that was constant. It was a pretty dark place. Years later when my grandmother (on my mother’s side) was placed in the nursing home, conditions were much better. She shared a room with others and many times, someone would call me over to talk and they would say to me, “My children placed me in here and abandoned me. They don’t come to see me. Why would they do that?”  As a young man, I had no answers to those questions. Again, a pretty dark place.

Now fast-forward to a few years ago. My first day to bring communion I was a bit apprehensive, but I got out of the boat. As I walked in I could hear someone in one of the back rooms wailing. My memories came rushing forward, and like the apostles, the seas just got a bit rougher. I made it through the list of people which took some time, but I kept hearing the person wailing in the background, and it got to a point where I had to leave. I got to my car and all of the emotions from years ago came crashing down and I cried like a baby in my car. At that point, I had doubts whether I could do this ministry or not. So, two choices were placed in front of me. I could be like Chef and “never get out of the boat,” stay I my safe space, OR I could have the courage to continue. I chose the latter and I will share that to this day, that was the most fulfilling ministry I’ve done. Faith requires action! Faith requires us to get out of the boat. The apostles didn’t stop once Jesus ascended to heaven. At first they were lost, but once they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they all got out of the boat and began to evangelize the world!

Here’s the good news, we too are all given the spiritual tools we need to get out of the
boat. At baptism, we are given the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. In the virtue of Faith, the Catechism teaches, “man freely commits his entire self to God.” ( CCC 1814)  In the sacrament of confirmation, we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that evangelized the world is in us to give us the strength we need to venture out of the boat, no matter how rough the seas are or strong the wind is in our face.  Therefore, when we think to ourselves that I can’t do hospital ministry, as Jesus told the apostles today with has his arm stretched, “Come out of the boat, it is I. Do not be afraid.” When we say, “I’m not worthy to be an Extra Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion,” Jesus has his arm stretched out saying, “Come out of the boat, it is I. Do not be afraid.” When we say I don’t want to be involved with youth ministry because I don’t know how to relate to teenagers, Jesus has his arm stretched out saying, “Come out of the boat, it is I. Do not be afraid.” When we come up with every excuse NOT to get out of the boat, Jesus has his arm stretched out saying, “Come out of the boat, it is I. Do not be afraid.” It is when people see Jesus in YOU, where you bring the virtue of Hope to people in dark places, when they see Jesus in you through your faith in action in love of neighbor, they too can have the courage to get out of the boat.