Podcast: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Hi and welcome to the Modern Psalmist Podcast. I’m Rebecca De La Torre.

This weekend we celebrate the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A. The gospel reading for today is the famous story of Jesus walking on water.

I always find this story fascinating, not only because Jesus walked on water but also because he invited Peter to walk out to him on the water.

Let’s take a look at the last half of this gospel passage, from Matthew chapter 14, verses 26 – 33:

“When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“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 Peter,
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.””

Peter is the only person in history who has ever walked on water, besides Jesus. It’s pretty amazing what he was able to do when his eyes were fixed on the Lord.

But as it says in verse 30: “when he saw how strong the wind was”
it indicates that Peter took his eyes off Jesus and that is how fear was allowed in to shake his faith.

We have to remember this for ourselves. We should keep our hearts focused on God in everything that we do so that we don’t allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the challenges we face every day.

This theme is also mirrored in the psalm for today, where trust in the Lord yields peace, justice, and prosperity.

Taken from Psalm 85, the response for today is

“Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.”

Our Communion antiphon for today is take from Psalm 147 verses 12 and 14:

“O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord,
who gives you your fill of finest wheat.”

Be it the sea in the gospel, the land yielding its increase in the psalm that we just heard, or the finest wheat mentioned here in the communion antiphon, all these scriptures underscore God’s dominion over nature and His ability to harness it for the benefit of humanity.

The reactions of the disciples in the boat when they “did him homage” and the praise in the psalm and communion antiphon all glorify God’s power and divinity. In all of these readings we acknowledge God’s supreme authority and respond in reverence.

One song that came to mind when I think about the importance of keeping our eyes on God is an old hymn titled “Be Thou My Vision” set to the Old Irish folk tune SLANE. I’ve recorded a couple of the verses here to share with you.

Thanks for listening to The Modern Psalmist podcast for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year A. Links to all the featured songs can be found in the show notes.

Tune in next week for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary time and the story of the Canaanite woman whose faith in Jesus is a great example for us all.

God bless you.