Homily for 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Collect
August 9, 2026
1 Kgs 19: 9, 11-13
Ps 85: 9-14
Matt 14: 22-33
Villa Maria, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“Bring to perfection in our hearts the spirit of adoption as your sons and daughters” (Collect).

Who is God?  What kind of a creator and lord is he?

The collect (or opening prayer) reminds us that Jesus taught us to regard God as our Father.  We understand, of course, that the term’s a metaphor for the Almighty One who has begotten not only human beings but also the entire, almost limitless universe.  It’s a somewhat bold term to use for the master of that universe, which is why the collect, as well as the formula we use at Mass, speaks of “daring” to call him Father.

Yet so Jesus teaches us—to use the same term of endearment and closeness that he used:  abba, daddy, papa.  By pouring out on us his Holy Spirit, Christ has bound us to himself in a relationship of sisters and brothers—we are “the unity” or oneness “of the Holy Spirit” that our prayers refer to, made one with our Lord Jesus and with each other.

So we can dare to speak of God as our papa, our daddy, our abba.  (We might do that with some gusto in Carey Landry’s hymn, “Abba, Father.”)

Altho he’s truly the master of the universe, the creator and director of all things, yet he’s gentle and kind.  “After the fire, there was a tiny whispering sound” as the Lord passed by Elijah (1 Kgs 19:12).  In our Lord Jesus, he urges us not to be afraid and he calms the sea (Matt 14:27, 32)—not afraid of life’s storms and earthquakes (real or metaphorical), its noises and terrors, and not to be afraid of him or his abba.  We can pray confidently, “Lord, let us see your kindness,” “for he proclaims peace” (Ps 85:8-9)—peace in our relationship with him, peace in our dealings with one another.  “Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him” (85:10), fear meaning to reverence him in awe of his holiness.  He’s our papa, the papa of all of us who belong to Jesus.

Our abba doesn’t shout or scream at us, harshly, like a tyrant or a slavedriver.  He speaks quietly in the words of the Scriptures and in the Spirit’s whispers in our hearts.  That’s why we need silence in our lives, far more than we need our phones, TVs, or radios, or loud politicians who proclaim they’re our saviors.

In silence the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to perfect our attitudes and our inclinations, even our passions, to cling to our brother Jesus so that we might walk with him, walk in his ways, even in a world as slippery and treacherous as the Sea of Galilee was for its fishermen.  When we grasp Jesus’ hand, we won’t sink.  Rather, he’ll pull us along with him to the inheritance our abba has prepared for us (cf. Collect).