Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: 1 Kings 19a, 11-13a; Psalm 85; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33
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In today’s first reading from the first book of the Kings, Elijah emerges from the cave in search of God. But the Lord was not in the strong wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire. God was not to be found in the big things and the grand happenings. There was no overwhelming sign and assurance of God’s presence. Ultimately, when Elijah heard a tiny whispering sound, he ‘hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave’. He was in the presence of God. So too in our lives. God can be present in the little things, in the gentle almost imperceptible breeze.
In 2018, Pope Francis published an apostolic exhortation entitled Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad) on the call to holiness in today’s world. He urged us not to forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to the little details in life:
The little detail that wine was running out at a party.
The little detail that one sheep was missing.
The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.
The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay.
The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.
The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak.
Francis said: ‘A community that cherishes the little details of love, whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it in accordance with the Father’s plan.[1]
Often we feel like the disciples in today’s gospel from Matthew. It’s as if we are in a boat being buffeted by the waves in the midst of a storm. And it’s night and we can’t see where we are going.
Jesus calls to us: ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Most of the time we hang on for dear life, silent and unmoved. Occasionally, we respond as did Peter: ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ Jesus calls ‘Come’. No sooner do we step out of the boat than we call ‘Lord, save us!’ Jesus stretches out his hand and rescues us with the words: ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ Scripture scholar Daniel Harrington says: ‘Jesus addresses Peter with the characteristic expression used in Matthew to describe the Twelve. Their faith is neither perfect nor absent; it is “little”. Peter’s initial success and subsequent failure provide the model of the “little faith” of the Matthean disciples’.[2]
According to Harrington: the disciples ‘are characterized as having a “little faith.” The picture of Peter in (this scene) is the most memorable representation of the “little faith” attributed to the disciples. What Peter does is the enactment of “little faith.” Nevertheless, Peter joins the other disciples in correctly identifying Jesus as the “Son of God.” For all their weaknesses they come to understand who Jesus really is.’[3]
If you’re like me, you more often wonder why Peter didn’t just stay put and simply respond in the first instance: ‘Lord, if it is you, come to us and rescue us in the boat.’ But given that he was prepared to take the plunge, we are able to witness the dynamic and the fruit of having little faith. A little faith is more than enough – but you do have to be prepared to step out of the boat. And attending to the little details while caring for each other and nurturing an open and evangelising environment is more than enough for realising the Lord’s presence breaking in here and now. Folk singers Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody put it well: ‘From little things, big things grow.’
Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the Lord — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO, Adjunct Professor of Thomas More Law School at ACU and Adjunct Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, is a former Rector of Newman College, University of Melbourne, and CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA). His latest books include Pope Francis: the Disruptive Pilgrims Guide (ATF Theology, 2025), and Equality, Reconciliation and Social Cohesion: The Inspiration of Sir William Deane (Connor Court, 2026).
[1] Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate ##143-5.
[2] Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina Series (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007), 225.
[3] Ibid, 228.
