(The readings for this homily are here)
Mt 14: 22-33                            
      The readings of today teaches us that God did not speak to Elijah and the Apostles when they were overly excited; he speaks to us when we come to stillness and are prepared to listen.
     Elijah, in the first reading, wants to flee from danger. So, he was running away from the evil queen Jezebel; he is discouraged, frustrated and wants to die. But God has other plans for him. He lived at a time when the chosen people had strayed away from their loyalty to the lord, and Jezebel was supporting false prophets of her own pagan religion. Elijah is destined by the lord to become a second Moses and restore the covenant between the lord and Israel. But first he must calm down, like the Apostles, and become still enough to hear the voice of the lord who will speak to him and tell him what to do. The lord would speak to him, not in a mighty wind that shatters rock, not in an earthquake, not in the fire but in a gentle breeze. The wind, earthquake, and fire reflect the troubled mind of Elijah who cannot hear the voice of the lord until he calms down and rids himself of his bitterness which is never a recipe for a great undertaking.
Elijah is credited with miracles and he disappears in a chariot of fire, but to us he should be better remembered as the great prophet who discovered that God speaks to us only when we are ready to listen.
              There are sometimes moments in our daily lives when we face a seemingly insurmountable problem. If we listen then, we may sense a tiny whispering in our heart this whispering is God desiring to speak to us. Our attitude must be: To listen. 
The Gospel tells that us even Jesus, who led his disciples to feed the people, feels the need to pray. Preachers, teachers, and retreat leaders know this very well. Without prayer and introspection, one’s ministry is a shambles. But while Jesus is away, the disciples who are in the boat are tossed by a storm. Yes, even the ones who are near the lord do experience storms and difficulties.
Yet, they are so caught up by the winds that they mistake the approaching Jesus for a ghost. But Jesus assures them, the way of the lord assured Moses on Mount Sinai, “I AM.” Then they are brought to their senses: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Sometimes our eyes are cast on the problems and not on the presence of Jesus, whose light will make us see solutions. We must not fear.