“Command Me to Come to
You on the Water” by Rev. Paul Berghout (@FatherPB)
Piety
Amen! Thus, may the
LORD do! May he fulfill the things you have prophesied
by bringing the
vessels of the house of the LORD and all the exiles back from Babylon to this
place! But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing and the
hearing of all the people. From of old, the prophets who were before you and me
prophesied war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms. But
the prophet who prophesies peace is recognized as truly sent by the LORD only
when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled. Jeremiah 28:6-9
“Lord, if it is you,
command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” 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 him, and said to him, “O you of little
faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those
who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:28-33
Study
Yesterday, on the
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we celebrated Jesus feeding the crowds by
making it possible for the disciples to give the people what they had. It was
not enough but became enough because of the compassion Jesus had for the
people. Isaiah 55 invited us to come to the water when we are thirsty, to come
and eat though we have no money. We can stop spending on what fails to satisfy.
Paul consoles us, too, by reminding us that nothing can "separate us from
the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
As we enter our weekday
readings, we will finish the selections from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.
Saturday has the consoling reading from the Prophet Habakkuk, "the vision
still has its time." The disciples continue
to watch Jesus and walk with him, even if they have to reach out across a
storm. These readings guide us to ask,
in a variety of ways, that our eyes might be opened to see Jesus as he really
is - glorified, with the Father, and ready to renew our faith and trust in him.
David G. Forney draws on
conflict theory when he studies Walter Brueggemann's article "Liturgy of
Abundance [and] the Myth of Scarcity." Forney contrasts the myth of
scarcity in the Book of Exodus with a liturgy of generosity in the New
Testament. His evidence is when Jesus multiplied the bread and fish with all
its Eucharistic overtones of blessing, breaking, and distributing.
Father Denis J. Hanly, a
Maryknoll Missionary for over 55 years, said: “Many years ago, at the seminary
in Hong Kong, I was teaching the deacons about to be ordained. Deacons about to
be ordained are very enthusiastic. And, of course, I’m an old cynic from
Brooklyn, so I tried my best to maintain their incredible positive outlook at
the time.”
About two weeks after
the diaconate ordination, I met one of the seminarians in the hallway, and I
said, “Harry, how are you doing?”
And he said, “Father
Hanly, when I stood and knelt at that altar with my head down, and I was filled
with joy, and I was filled with peace, and I gave my whole life to Him, it was
a wonderful moment.” And then he stops. “And now, three weeks later, each day,
I take a little back. “Do you understand? I take a little back.”
“Taking a little back”
speaks of the tension that the new deacon felt between the perceived scarcity
and lack of abundance regarding time and generosity in serving.
The tension goes back to
the Hebrews wandering for 40 years in the desert; at every new campsite, they
whined to Moses about perceived scarcity:
"Give us water to drink, and food to eat. Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us
and our children and livestock with thirst?" (Exod. 17:3).
But, as David G. Forney
notes, “Their memory was selective. They never had it this good in Egypt. There,
bread was a reward of food and drink contingent on their productivity. It was
always received and eaten with fearful anxiety that it might be cut off.” The bread
was a “mechanism of imperial control.”
Yet, “it’s a wonder,
it's a miracle, it's an embarrassment, it's irrational, but God's abundance
transcends the market economy."
Forney notes that at the
heart of the Hebrew's wilderness experience is the question, "Is the Lord
among us or not?" (Exod. 17: 7). Does God provide in sufficient ways, or
is Pharaoh correct that there is not enough? And it is that question that lies
behind many situations of conflict. Do we have to fight to get ahead, to
advance our agendas, to prove God is on my side, or does God really provide for
all that we need?”[i]
When Jesus says to us,
as in our Sunday Gospel, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food
yourselves,” what I hear Jesus saying is, “Don’t wait for someone else to do
it.” “Don’t pretend you’re not qualified or capable.” “Don’t delay it.”
Our Sunday Gospel reminded
us that Jesus fed five-thousand hungry people when all he really wanted was to
be alone to grieve after learning that his cousin and friend, John the Baptist,
had just been killed by Herod.
Alyce McKenzie puts it
this way: Jesus' words, “You give them something to eat” are “a daily dare.”
He's saying: "I dare you to take me at my word. And see what happens.”
Jesus sprang into action
because seeing the hungry crowd moved his heart to compassion. The word ‘compassion’ comes from a Greek word,
which means the ‘inner parts’ of the body, your guts. Compassion refers to
something profound inside of us. So, to have compassion indicates a strong
inner feeling.
Action
And that’s our cue.
Just Feel.
Observe your somatic
(bodily) experience and your feelings. If you feel compassion in your gut, that
is a call from God to help someone. God will multiply your efforts.
He will multiply my tiny
offerings to do His work like five loaves and two fish. He is only asking me to be a part of His
work. But it’s also a challenge for me
to be compassionate and generous when I don’t feel like it, but know it’s God’s
will. Like the disciples, just let me follow your instructions, and to entrust
the miracles that need to happen to you.
There were 12 baskets of
leftovers, one basket personalized for each apostle. They had picked up the
fragments with their own hands; they had seen the miracle of multiplication
with their very eyes.
Minister from God’s
abundance—and you will fill more baskets than you can carry by yourself.
Amen.
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