Newsletter- 19th Week of Ordinary Time
Dear Parishioners
As the month of August gradually unfolds so many more parishioners will be away on holiday, taking time to travel and to rest and relax with family and friends. I wish you a wonderful holiday! Safe travels too and a good rest! We shall look forward to welcoming you back to the parish after your time away. A very warm welcome too to those who may be visiting St Marys and the Grantham area during this month. Please do make yourself known to me at the door after Mass and I hope you will enjoy your time worshipping with us here.
The setting for today’s Gospel on the 19th Sunday in ordinary Time takes place after the feeding of the crowd which we heard about last weekend at Mass. Jesus, I’m sure was very tired. He dismissed the crowd and sent his disciples in the boat ahead of him and assured them he will meet them on the other side. Jesus is alone at last for a little peace and quiet prayer time.
In the meantime, when the storm arose, the disciples feared they were about to die on the turbulent waters. We can only imagine how scary that situation must have been for them. While they fought for their lives, Jesus walked toward them on the water. They were sure they were seeing a ghost – a sure sign they were going to die. Jesus, once again said to them, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter, wanting to seem courageous in front of the others, says, “Lord, If it is You, command me to come to you on the water.” Now, let me pause right here. If we found ourselves in some life-or-death situation, even if we claim to be people of great faith and saw a beautiful angel, which our eyes could not believe, reach out a helping hand, would we have the courage to act? Peter’s faith waivers. When he begins to sink in the water, Jesus admonishes him, “O you of little faith, why do you doubt” (“O you of little courage,” as well.)
But what is “courage?” Courage is the mental or moral strength to withstand or endure despite danger, pain, difficulty or fear. The root word of courage is “cor” which is the Latin word for heart. In its original form the word meant to “speak from one’s mind while telling all one’s heart.” In other words, one could say that courage is an inside job, because it requires us to look deep within our soul, to be uncomfortable, and to make a “heartfelt” decision. If that is our working definition, then how would we answer this question? What’s the most courageous thing you or I have ever done? In thinking about it, let us not sell ourselves short. Most of us I suspect couldn’t have come to this ripe age without having made some decisions along the way that took real courage. All our hard choices in life I suspect have involved a strong element of courage on our part. But I suspect there was fear and pain associated with our courageous decisions too.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. We might say things like, “I’m sorry for rushing to judgment”, or “I told the truth and it had serious consequences for me,” or “I got involved in an issue I felt passionate about,” or “I got out of bed today when all I really wanted to do was crawl back under the covers.”
Fear of failure didn’t stop Peter who loved Jesus with a passionate heart, mind and soul and a drenched body! Maybe we all need to hear “O you of little faith” as our own personal invitation to find calm and trust that all the storms of our lives can in time lead to peace. Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet still voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” A thought to ponder upon at those moments in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by all that may be going on in our lives or when we feel too that we may be sinking under the weight of so many problems or difficulties.
With prayers for you and for your families during this holiday season,
Your parish priest and friend,
Father Jonathan
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