Our windy, earthquaking, fiery lives (Henri Nouwen)

    I am not saying there is an easy solution to our ambivalent relationship with God. Solitude is not a solution. It is a direction. The direction is pointed to by the prophet Elijah, who did not find Yahweh in the mighty wind, the earthquake, the fire, but in the still, small voice; this direction, too, is indicated by Jesus, who chose solitude as the place to be with his Father. 

    Every time we enter into solitude we withdraw from our windy, earthquaking, fiery lives and open ourselves to the great encounter. The first thing we often discover in solitude is our own restlessness, our drivenness, and compulsiveness, our urge to act quickly, to make an impact, and to have influence; and often we find it very hard to withstand the temptation to return as quickly as possible to the world of “relevance.” 

    But when we persevere with the help of a gentle discipline, we slowly come to hear the still, small voice and to feel the gentle breeze, and so come to know the Lord of our heart, soul, and mind, the Lord who makes us see who we really are. 

--Henri Nouwen 

Image source: https://theconversation.com/being-alone-has-its-benefits-a-psychologist-flips-the-script-on-the-loneliness-epidemic-250742 
Quotation source

Fear can feel immense (Fr. Patrick van der Vorst)

    There is something in all of us that longs for “the other side.” We think the grass is greener on the other side. We want to explore new shores... and it can make us restless. Like the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee, we sense we are not meant to stay where we are; we are drawn forward, called onward, invited to a new shore. And yet, the moment we set out, the waters are rarely calm. Winds rise. The sea grows restless. Darkness gathers. Every new step, every new calling, every new job, every new house we move into, every change seems to bring with it resistance, uncertainty, even fear. we are excited on one hand, but on the other hand we are afraid. 

    It is precisely there, in the middle of the struggle, in the middle of the changes that Christ comes. Not when all is calm, but when the waves are high. Not in the brightness of certainty, but in the obscurity of night. He comes towards us and speaks those same quiet words: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” And somehow, when we recognise His presence and when we realise He is already in the storm with us, the whole journey changes. The distance shortens. The far shore no longer feels unreachable. Maybe the goal of the storms was never simply to arrive… but to discover that He is with us every step of the way. 

    Gustave Doré’s hand-coloured engraving, circa 1870, imagines the scene from Christ’s own vantage point: from close to the shore. He sees the small boat of the disciples tossed in the distance, and he sets off walking on the waters. And yet, having stood myself by the Sea of Galilee, only about 21 km long and 13 km wide, you realise how slightly odd today's reading is. The Sea of Galilee is not an ocean. At no point are you ever truly far from land. And still… the disciples truly panicked. This tells us maybe something interesting: even on a small lake, fear can feel immense. Even when the shore is near, it can seem out of reach. Even the smallest events in our lives can unsettle us, making us feel as though we are caught in a storm at sea, when in reality, the shore is closer than we think. The disciples were close to safety, and yet overwhelmed. And it is precisely there, in that gap between reality and fear, that Christ sees them… and comes towards them... and towards us. 

--Fr. Patrick van der Vorst 

Image & quotation source: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-6-16-21-2026/comment-page-1/

Wrapped in awe and reverence (Sara Fairbanks)

Elijah pours out his story, and God listens with loving kindness. 

Elijah is told to wait on the mountain for God to “pass by.” 

On the mountain’s edge, he experiences 

a ferocious wind, an earthquake, and a fire; 

God is not present there but in a “gentle whisper.” 

Wrapped in awe and reverence, 

Elijah enters divine communion. 

God asks him again: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

Recalling his scrape with death, this one question 

provokes an avalanche of questions for Elijah: 

What do you value most? 

What gives you meaning and purpose? 

Who are you, and whose are you? 

What larger story are you a part of? 

God poses the most vital spiritual question 

every human being must answer: What are you doing here? 

Can you hear God asking you this question? 

What are you doing here? 

What supreme reality can claim your whole heart and 

free you to live for one another, to love at any cost? 

Elijah answers these questions not with words but with his life. 

He has rested in the warmth of God’s loving arms.

With spirit renewed, liberated from fear, 

he rededicates himself to participate in God’s saving plan for Israel. 

--Sara Fairbanks, OP 

Image source: https://bible.art/p/FJLjksPKg8BtiMZtqWAP
Quotation source & complete article

To hear the voice of God (Anna J. Cooper)

         One needs occasionally to stand aside from the hum and rush of human interests and passions to hear the voice of God. 

--Anna J. Cooper 

Image source: https://www.classycareergirl.com/peace-midst-chaos-find-6-ways/ 

Quotation source

Lord, save me! (Mike Kuczkowski)

    I have always loved this Gospel reading. The image of Jesus walking on the water toward the boat that carries his Apostles. First, they think He is a ghost. Then they recognize it is their teacher coming. Then Peter asks Jesus to command him to come out on the water. And yet, when He does so, Peter becomes fearful and starts to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me!” And of course, Jesus lifts him up and prevents him from drowning. 

    As a child, I loved this image because it gave me the sense that Jesus would catch me when I fell. I focused on what it must have been like to be in the presence of Christ. To experience him calming the waters. Which was a comforting notion. 

    Yet, as an adult I think more about Peter’s actions. His desire to be called. The fact that he is called, that he gets what he wants. And yet, he falters. This happens to us so often. We look down, rather than forward. We allow our daily doubts to get in the way of our faith. It happens all the time to me, those moments when I find myself unwilling to surrender to God’s will. “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?” I would have to reply, “I don’t know.” 

    It takes much humility to simply listen to God’s words and push away the self-doubt, the pride, the temptation to mischief. And yet, when we sin, we need only ask for mercy. Reach out. Gain enough perspective about our actions to say, “Lord, save me!” He will catch us when we do. 

--Mike Kuczkowski,
OLMC Communion Service Reflection,
August 3, 2021 

Image source: Henry Osawa Tanner, The Disciples See Christ Walking on the Water (ca. 1907), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Ossawa_Tanner,_The_Disciples_See_Christ_Walking_on_the_Water,_c._1907.jpg

Sunday Gospel Reflection, August 9, 2026: Lord, if it is you...

Lord, if it is you…
How do we know the Lord is near?
 What happens when we open ourselves to the presence of God? 

    The prophet Elijah had reason to fear Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahaz, who becomes angry when her own prophets are unable to call down fire on dry wood while Elijah, praying that God work through him, sees water-drenched wood ignite without difficulty. Fleeing Jezebel, Elijah takes shelter in a cave at the mountain of God, Horeb. One can imagine Elijah, wound up tightly because fear has overridden his faith, waiting for the Lord to be passing by. How does he encounter God? Not in the spectacular ways you’d imagine – the strong and heavy wind or the earthquake or the fire – but in the calm and stillness that follow. 

    A strong wind also plagues the disciples whom Jesus has get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But it is not the waves tossing about the boat that frighten them, but rather the experience of Jesus coming toward them walking on the sea. Peter is not convinced the figure is Jesus: Lord, if it is you, he says, command me to come to you on the water. If ?!? Ultimately, Peter’s focus is not on Jesus but on everything else around him: when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he became frightened, Matthew tells us. Fear has taken hold of Peter, and that fear will build upon itself. Jesus is, by contrast, the calm in the storm, stretching out his hand to catch Peter; the presence of God is revealed in the deep quiet within. What should be driving the disciples here is not fear, but their faith and trust in Jesus who saves. 

    As Paul reminds the Romans, God’s plan is that all will come to faith, but Paul has great sorrow and constant anguish in his heart because the Jewish people have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Theirs is the adoption, the glory, the covenant, Paul says, but they have to be open to God’s presence with the calm quiet of faith. 

    Our spiritual tradition always calls us back to calm; if you’re not calm, you can’t hear God. The psalmist knows this and can readily say, in Psalm 85, I will hear what God proclaims! Open to the presence of God, the psalmist celebrates all the ways he knows the Lord will come: when he sees signs of peace and kindness and truth and justice. May we too remain open to God’s presence among us, ready to see his kindness and salvation! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Nourished by Jesus (Jonathan Lewis)

     Jesus’ followers gather in community and are nourished by Jesus. Every Sunday, we have the opportunity to gather in community to be nourished by Jesus through the Eucharist. As you reflect on this gospel message, take a moment to thank God for providing us with the nourishment that our soul deeply needs and desires. 

--Jonathan Lewis,
Facebook, July 25, 2021

Image source: Loaves and Fishes, statue, St. Philip the Apostle, San Francisco, https://www.noevalleyvoice.com/2010/October/StPh.htm 
Quotation source