WORD ALIVE

The gospel for this 19th Sunday relates about our Lord walking on water. Somebody joked that he did this because he could not afford the exorbitant fare charged by the profiteering boat owners!
 

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When Jesus was walking on the Sea of Galilee at about three o'clock at dawn, his disciples thought it was a ghost. Peter recognized him. He asked the Lord to let him walk on the water, too (Mt 14,28). He wanted him to suspend the laws of nature and experience the miracle.
 

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Peter was very human. He wanted to see signs and miracles. “Lord, if it’s you, command me to come to you on the water.”
Some people who have the means don’t mind traveling and spending considerable amounts to go to places where miracles are happening. 
There is nothing wrong about that. For them, faith hinges on miracles only. 

But the spiritual writer Jerome Ziliak said: "The great miracle of life is not walking on water, but walking on earth with love, peace and happiness." 
 

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Another lesson of the gospel concerns faith. When Peter felt threatened by the storm and the big waves, his faith faltered. Jesus censured him for his weakness. "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mt 14,31). 
 

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The big waves and strong winds symbolize the trials and adversities we encounter in life. Isn't it true that when everything is going well, more often we forget God? But just as some big problems arise like a malignant cancer, the sudden death of a loved one, the loss of a job or business, depression, then we become insecure and question if there’s really a good God. 
 

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God does help. But let’s not forget doing our part. As the saying goes: “God helps those who help themselves.” In local parlance, “Nasa tao ang gawa; nasa Diyos ang awa.”

Many pray that they don’t get sick when they feel something abnormal in their body. But they refuse to see a doctor for check-up or keep on eating “see-food” — that is, whenever they see food, they eat.
 

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Let’s not go to God and pray only when life’s storms threaten us. We should pray in all the circumstances and events, whether we’re in pain or in joy or when life is comfortable or turbulent.

As a writer puts it, “God is not a fire engine that you call on him when there’s fire in your life.” 
 

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Thoughts to live by. Christ is like a computer. He will “enter” your life, “save” you with his blood, “format” your problems, “shift” you to opportunities and never “delete” you from his “memory.”
 

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We don’t change God's message, his message changes us.
 

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When praying, don’t give God instructions, just report for duty.
 

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Seminarians need support. Our seminarians are enrolling for the new school year. Let’s remember how important seminarians are in the church. Without them, we cannot have ordained ministers to dispense the sacraments like baptism, confession, as well as missionaries to evangelize peoples who have not yet known Christ. 
 

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Donate any amount or sponsor a seminarian's schooling for one year. For inquiry, e-mail me at: [email protected].