A Swing of Faith

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Sometime ago I took golf lessons.  I found a terrific lady instructor at a local golf course.  Every Wednesday I'd go out on the green and practice my swing.  One thing I struggled with was making sure my club connected with the ball. Seems like I hit the dirt more often than the golf ball itself.  I became so frustrated, doubting my ability to ever golf!  The  instructor used to tell me, "Keep your eye focused straight on the ball while you swing!  Do not let your eyes  move with your arms or hips.  You will hit the ball up into the air on contact!"  It took awhile to get the "swing" of things but over time I hit the ball up in the air consistently.  My confidence began to build.  I knew with regular practice I'd play a full game of golf one of these days.  

When Peter kept his eyes focused on The Lord, he was able to walk on water.  It's when he took his eyes off The Lord, frightened by the strong wind, that he began to sink.  He allowed his own human doubts to overwhelm him.  He lacked faith. He didn't stay focused on Christ's love and protection. Like the golf swing, he failed to hit the ball over the water.  The golf ball sank straight into the water hazard. Fortunately for Peter, Jesus caught him in time before he sank into the ocean.

Little Faith   God provides us with opportunities to serve others and better our lives in the process.  Oftentimes, we allow doubt and insecurity to tell us we cannot do anything.  Perhaps our Lord is calling us to volunteer in a church ministry.  We'd like to do it, but instead we talk ourselves out of it.  We don't have faith that God will help us every step of the way.  It took me several years to build up the courage to lector. I knew I had a nice voice and read well.  I felt like I wasn't versed enough in scripture though.  All that changed when I completed the Catholic Biblical School.  Lector positions rarely open up, so six years ago when one finally did I took it.  I remember being incredibly nervous the first few months of reading.  I had no idea if I was any good.  All I know is that nobody asked me to stop reading!  Actually the opposite happened:   I received compliments from parishioners as well as our parish priest.  What a confidence booster!  I knew The Lord blessed me with the wonderful gift of proclaiming the Word of God.  Nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. I just needed to believe in myself and do a good job.

Keep eyes focused on Christ.  No matter what situations lie in front of use we should always keep our eyes focused on Christ.  Read Holy Scripture.  Pray a daily rosary.  Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  Go to confession on a monthly basis.  If we are able, attend mass during the week or make a silent retreat.  Most important is to keep our faith in Christ alive.  Don't doubt for a moment that he's not around to bless and protect us.  I find when times are rough my Christian faith is what keeps me from breaking apart.  I don't have to worry about drowning with Jesus sitting beside me on a life boat.

St. Catherine of Siena wrote:  "Your Son went down from the heights of his divinity to the depths of our humanity. Can anyone’s heart remain closed and hardened after this?"  Something to think about. Will you continue to lack faith or will you open your mind and heart to Christ's unconditional love and grace?

Take a swing of faith!

-J.