OMELIE / Omelie EN

09 ago 2026

9 August 2026 – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

9 August 2026 – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

1st reading: 1 Kings 19:9, 11–13; Psalm 84; 2nd reading: Romans 9:1–5; Gospel: Matthew 14:22–33

The first reading took us with Elijah to one of the mountains of Sinai. The prophet was fleeing from the soldiers of Queen Jezebel, who had sent them in pursuit to kill him. For on Mount Carmel he had had all the priests and prophets of Baal—the queen’s god, a god who condoned all human vices—put to death, thereby ruining the people to the point of reducing them to slavery under other nations. Here, on the mountain where he has taken refuge, God wishes to teach him a lesson in kindness, just as he had done with Moses on a similar occasion. Moses had returned to the mountain after breaking the two tablets of the Law and punishing those guilty of worshipping the golden calf. God welcomed him and revealed Himself to him as the ‘gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in love’. In this way, He expressed His disapproval of what he had done. Through those punishments, he had not shown the people the true face of God—a merciful face—but rather the one he had imagined: a God who punishes to the point of killing.

Elijah, too, had conveyed this idea—that God was vengeful and terrible, a God to be feared. It was God Himself who called Elijah out of the cave where he had taken refuge, and showed him terrible things: a mighty wind, an earthquake and fire. Yet God Himself was not present in these frightening events. God does not act in a way that frightens people. Elijah discovered this through this particular experience. His God hides in the ‘gentle breeze’, in the situation that brings peace and refreshment to humankind, a situation that does not terrify, but gladdens and restores.

It is a fine lesson, which we should bear in mind so as not to give credence to the words of those who would seek to terrify believers, even if these words are presented as messages from heaven. We already have messages from heaven: those given by God himself to Moses and Elijah.

The passage concerning Elijah prepares us to hear the Gospel. Jesus urges the disciples to set off, after the distribution of the five loaves to the five thousand and the gathering of the leftover pieces. They must not linger to receive the crowd’s congratulations: what had happened was a gift from God the Father and from the prayer that he, Jesus, had addressed to him. The disciples therefore get into the boat and set out onto the sea, whilst Jesus continues his prayer on the mountain. Their boat is tossed about by the waves and the wind, and they are afraid. Here is Jesus’ teaching: God is not one who seeks to instil fear; he does not hide within those waves that trouble their hearts. They must not be afraid; Jesus is still there, even if they cannot see him. His prayer keeps him united to the Father, and the Father provides for him and his disciples.

There he is, walking on the water. The disciples do not recognise him. They are too accustomed to being afraid of anything that is out of the ordinary, of anything that does not fit with their past experiences. They cry out in fear. It is he who must reassure them: ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid!’

His words have an immediate effect, so much so that Peter even wants to walk on the water, just like Jesus. Jesus allows him to do so. People can perform divine deeds when they have faith, when they do not doubt the Father’s love and do not lose sight of the Son’s face. Here is Peter taking steps out of the boat, onto the water that ripples beneath his feet. But his faith is not yet steadfast, persevering or secure. A gust of wind is enough, and this becomes so overwhelming for him that he loses sight of his Lord. Does he think that danger is stronger than Jesus? There is no faith, and without faith, the water gives way beneath his feet and he sinks. He must return to faith, which becomes prayer, and then Jesus’ hand is already in his. He is saved! But he must be rebuked, just as I must be rebuked every time I let fear get the better of me: it is a sign that I have turned my gaze away from the Lord.

There they all are, kneeling in the boat before Jesus: ‘Truly, you are the Son of God!’ Jesus is truly important, essential to our daily lives, so that through our daily lives we may reach the goal of our salvation. Jesus, Son of God!

Let us understand the suffering of the Apostle Paul: he sees that the majority of his people refuse to believe in Jesus, the Son of God. He suffers because the most important thing is missing from their lives: they do indeed have the Law and the glory of the Temple; Jesus even came from among them in the flesh, yet they do not wish to kneel before him: they lack salvation, they lack humility, they lack everything. Paul suffers, just as those grandparents suffer who see their grandchildren with empty souls: for the Lord Jesus does not dwell within them! In this way, without realising it, they suffer from the lack of the greatest treasure a person could possess: faith, such as that which Elijah possessed after experiencing the gentle breeze.