As we journey in faith this Sunday, the readings give us an opportunity to review—and perhaps extend— what kind of disciples we are. Are we comfortable disciples doing the "ordinary" things of faith, or are we risk takers who are willing, as Pope Francis asks us, to go to the peripheries and bring the Good News of the Gospel to someone who does not know or has not heard of Jesus’ love for them?

In today’s first reading from the Book of Kings the Prophet Elijah seeks to find the Lord in the world around him. First he attempts to find the Lord in a strong wind, but cannot find Him; then in an earthquake, but to no avail; and, finally in a fire—again, no Lord. After all that Elijah goes to the cave entrance and finds the Lord in a whispering wind. In the second reading from Saint Paul to the Romans, Paul tells us of the blessings of the Lord and the life of His Truths lived out each day and how this

connection to Jesus feeds our every word and act. In fact, we hear the anger of St. Paul who is frustrated with his Jewish friend’s failure to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and that anger or frustration then turns to praise when He realizes that even when we do not follow the Lord He still loves and blesses us—always calling us to Himself. We must remember that the Lord will not abandon us no matter how often we turn from Him, as He endlessly desires us to return home to the Father and His Truths.

In today’s Gospel of Matthew, we hear Peter is tossed about in the boat with the other disciples. The storms of the world and culture are difficult and he takes a risk to go out of the boat—a symbol for the Church—and head into uncharted or perhaps new waters where he needs to take the Good News to others. He asks Christ to command him to come to Him and Peter takes the risk to walk on the water toward Jesus but as he is buffeted by the world (storms) about him, he loses his focus and takes his eye off the "prize"—Jesus—and sinks. The Lord responds by calling him "O you of little faith, why do you doubt?"

As we practice our Catholic faith as disciples, we have to ask ourselves what kind of disciple am I. Do I go with my faith only to places where I feel safe? With my family—do we say grace at dinner and show my children that I am thankful to God? At Church or with friends from Church—do I ever talk about the homily…did it make sense, was it off base? Do I ever speak of faith or try to infuse what I claim to believe—and am hoping for—about Eternal Salvation in the world around me—when someone is ignorant of the Church? At work? Is my faith’s practice limited to the four walls of the Church? Do I offer my services as a religious education teacher or maybe help with youth ministry or join the choir?  We have to ask ourselves "Why did Jesus come to the earth and why did He die for my sins?" Do I believe there is some work on my part that is necessary for my entrance into Salvation?

The Lord asks us—as Pope Francis is reiterating now—to "go deep into the waters" of faith and to bring what we Believe into the world and so transform the world around us. If we love our family and friends, then why not talk about the gift of—and the road to— Salvation with them? As I have said before, a passive (or indifferent) disciple is not what the Lord asks of us, rather, the God of all creation and the Source of Eternal Life asks us to Believe it. Live it. And Share it!

This requires us to become risk takers in faith. We must climb out of the boat and go into the deep with our faith. After all, in the end there is but One Source that shall grant us Salvation: neither the job we do nor the sports team we follow (not even the Red Sox), or the movie star or TV personality or the politician-of-the-week will save us. To quote Jesus Christ in this Gospel, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid!"

The Lord asks us to take what we believe and as St. Catherine of Siena says: "…set the world ablaze." As the disciples before us we can ignite a candle and go light our world with a faith—even in the modern world. It is hard. It takes courage, but the Lord has already said that He is with us.

In the Catholic Church today we are faced with a great task before us. We need to not only bring into the world our faith—faith that is not welcome since it goes against much of the world’s desire for ease andconvenience. We must become counter-cultural so that the culture can be realigned with God. Add to this tremendous "battle" before us, the fact that through our own fault, we now have multiple generations of people who are not only influenced by the world alone but are ignorant of the faith. They have heard for a long time from society that Christianity is "wrong," "hateful," or just "bigoted." They do not see the falsehoods in those misrepresentations, and few see the greatest private institutional network of hospitals, food banks, homeless and battered person shelters, nursing homes, schools and colleges, healthcare providers to the poor and international outreach programs which go to the far reaches of the earth where the poorest of the poor live. I think that speaks for itself.

God’s voice is calling us today asking us to pick up the mantel of compassion and concern for humanity that began with Christ and His Apostles and has been given to every generation in every time and place. Today, it is handed to us—here in the Archdiocese of Hartford— and God is asking us to do our part and continue His Church in the world. May we join His declaratory and eternal statement to Peter: "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18  

Batter up?!