Aug 9, 2026 – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Gospel Reflection
August 9, 2026
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 115
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (8) 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.
R. 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.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation
Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Alleluia: Cf. Ps 130:5
Alleluia, alleluia.
I wait for the Lord;
my soul waits for his word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
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.”
Reflection
Second Reading
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.”
At first glance, Saint Paul seems to have a death wish and he’s being patriotic enough to commiserate with his fellow Israelites in being cursed. Why is he saying that the Israelites are cursed? It is because they have been cut off from Christ by not recognizing that He is the promised Messiah from God.
But St. Paul has another purpose in saying this. He is also telling us that Christ is God and to be cut off from God, like what happened to his Israelite ancestors, is truly a curse. Jesus performed miracles and preached about the Kingdom of God like no other person has ever done before and there will be no one else like him. Yet, they still failed to see the truth despite the fact that Jesus came into this world as one of them. This is without a doubt a failure of epic proportions on the part of the Israelites which warrants divine cursing—those who refuse to acknowledge the very person of God, who came to His very own people, can no longer be His people because of their rejection. God continues to love Israel and each and every soul who will live on earth. But to reject God despite revealing Himself is a fait accompli—and this means, God will not force Himself to anyone who rejects Him.
Saint Paul came to know that God’s salvation exclusively came through Jesus Christ. In fact, the words of our Lord in the Gospel are pretty straightforward with regard to salvation and here are some verses to reflect on:
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40), or
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44), or
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6), and
“And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).
It may have been well for the Israelites to have realized and seen that salvation came from their very own countryman because salvation comes from the Jews (see John 4:22). It is regrettable that the Jews rejected Jesus as their promised Messiah from God. We can only imagine what could have been the result had they accepted Jesus as the promised Savior. This is not an accusation or condemnation of the Jews. It is merely a statement of fact. Their rejection was prophesied by our Lord himself before it happened and a lament: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ (Matt 23: 37-39)
The elevated status of the Jews as God’s chosen people and the first to receive the Covenant gifted them with things which no other people or tribe on earth ever received like their revered ancestors and prophets who saw and were able to talk to God. However, all these blessings were rendered naught because of their failure to receive the Promised Salvation from God – our Lord Jesus, the Christ. Saint Paul continues by saying that the Israelites received, to the exclusion of others, “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
For St. Paul, being chosen by God is a tremendous blessing. It comes with both privileges and responsibilities. The Israelites “had” the unique status of being chosen to be our elder brother in the faith, and they were consecrated to be the priests of the world, mediating between God and mankind. The Messiah came and was incarnated into the Jewish race, and this should have sealed their priestly status forever as a reward for their having received the Covenant first to the exclusion of others.
By virtue of God’s will, the Israelites have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Kingdom. Because of this, they worshipped the One True God of the universe in the Jerusalem Temple, unlike those cultic tribes or nations who worshipped the sun, moon or other creatures like animals. The Israelites had everything for their salvation but they rejected the culmination of their promised liberation with the coming of the savior – Jesus, son of Joseph the carpenter and Mary his mother, who was one of their own and continues to be one with mankind forever so that we could be one like Him.
For us today, let us reflect on these words of St. Paul which unequivocally says that to know God and the One whom he sent is a great blessing and completes what have been theirs since the start of salvation history. The Israelites believed that Jesus was not the promised Messiah and that is why they rejected Him. To reject Jesus as God and Messiah is indeed a curse because to reject Him is also a rejection of the Father and Holy Spirit.
The New Israel
Our Lord once said: “…whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50).
Doing or obeying the will of the Father in Heaven is what qualifies a person to be considered a brother, sister or mother of our Lord Jesus, a part of God’s kingdom. However, please note that doing what our Lord has commanded us to do is also doing the will of the Father because Jesus is in the Father. Remember also that Jesus does not speak on his own authority: “For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me” (John 12:49-50).
Therefore, Israel is indeed God’s chosen nation and family. They are a nation which gathered in worshipping the One True God. It is a church which does the will of the Father and His will is for all to be saved by coming to know the one whom He sent – Jesus. The New Israel is the Church founded by Jesus himself, and it is the Church which professes faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is a universal faith which is led by priests who dispense actual grace from God called “Sacraments”. The Catholic Church is the New Israel.
Gospel
Today’s Gospel comes right after the story about the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand’ with five (5) loaves of bread and two (2) fishes. Imagine the “high” or elation the Apostles were riding on because of the miracle that just happened – they have just participated in the distribution of the miraculously multiplied loaves and fishes to their countrymen who were hungry and tired from following Jesus around.
After the feeding, the Lord set the disciples on a boat. It was evening and the boat was already a few miles away from the shore. The account says that the boat was being tossed by strong winds and waves. Everybody in the boat was probably panicking. There were no water floatation devices then to keep people alive when they go overboard.
In ancient times, bodies of water were always regarded as death traps and the abode of dangerous creatures. For Jesus’ disciples to be on a relatively small boat being tossed by strong winds and waves, at night, it would have been horror for them. Yet our Almighty and all-knowing Lord set them on that boat ride, and we now know why – to test their faith. Similar to Elijah in the First Reading, who was running away from persecution, those on the boat were in a life-threatening situation.
The question is: How can one find God in the midst of actual and ongoing trouble or disaster? At the moment of threat upon one’s life, do you still have time to look for God and is that the first thing one should do instead of fight or flight?
At about 3 o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them walking on water. They shouted in fear: “It is a ghost“. During a storm at sea, when one sees an entity of glimmering light walking on the water, such could really be a terrifying experience because you’re in a “real pickle” from fear of the storm and fear of what creatures are under the water.
Then the panicking Apostles hear these firm and assuring words: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.“
This assuring, comforting but firm command from our Lord Jesus evokes so much that it would take an entire lifetime just contemplating on it, and such lifetime for reflection would be time well spent when coupled with Christian action.
It is a command, a directive from Jesus for the Apostles to take courage in whatever they are tasked to do because the Lord is our Immanuel; he is God with us. Those who absolutely trust our Lord know that no one is spared from the horrors of this world.
Like the Apostles who were in a boat and cast to sea (in truth, a lake) by our Lord himself, we too experience fear because of things we do not know and things we have no control over. Fear breeds distrust—distrust of others and even of self. The fear and hesitation to overcome obstacles, challenges and problems in life are things which constantly present themselves in our lives. However, those who trust in the Lord also know that even when storms and big waves come our way, we know that God will never abandon us because He has indeed liberated us from sin and death—the greatest obstacle to mankind. God is simply bigger than anything and everything.
Sensing that it can only be Jesus who can walk on water in a storm, St. Peter begs Jesus: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Our Lord, who can’t refuse a request for the sake of our faith and being closer to him, says: “Come.”
How much do we really trust the Lord? Is it big enough to move mountains like the Lord pointed out: “…if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20-21). Mustard seeds are small and this means that our Lord Jesus is not asking much faith from us because our faith in Jesus can always grow if we want to get closer to God and Jesus. To will to get closer to Jesus means trusting in our Lord who knows us better than we can know our self.
Our Lord bids Peter, our first pope, to come into the water where He is at. It is like going through a really difficult test of one’s faith in Jesus before we can settle our nerves and move. The world will always make us doubt ourselves. It will always be critical about our actions. It will always tempt us to be popular and join the mainstream which usually subscribes to hedonism and follows the Nike mantra: “just do it”. Here, Jesus is calling us to be courageous and in some cases, courageousness even in the face of stupidity and conflict. Siding with the Lord and fighting for the faith can really be harmful to one’s health. But this is the reason why our Lord Jesus says “take courage, it is I” and “come” – to come to Jesus requires courage because the world even terminates those who are out to do the right things.
At first, Peter gains success in walking on the water but he starts to sink because his faith begins to waiver when he gets frightened by the strong winds and big waves. Peter cried out to Jesus: “Lord, save me!” a typical petition to our Lord in times of trouble. It is the right petition and frame of mind, no doubt. In times of so much difficulty and challenge, there should be no other person whom we should run to except God.
However, the reply of our Lord Jesus to Peter sounds ordinary when in fact it is not. The Lord caught Peter by the hand and said: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Our Lord is saying that with total and absolute faith in God, anything is possible. Connected to God, we have the power to move mountains because Jesus is with us (see Matt 17:20). Why do you think these words were spoken by our Lord: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
Jesus is worthy of our total and absolute trust simply because He is the Son of God.
A blessed Sunday to everyone.
– Gospel reflection by Kuya Rommel Cecilio of SLRP Bible Apostolate Ministry
