Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 08/09/20 Why Did You Stop?

Episode Date: August 9, 2020

Homily from the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is one thing to start walking. It is another thing to keep walking. Distraction is anything that takes our focus away from where it needs to be. Mass Readings from August 9, 2020: 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 Psalms 85:9-12, 13-14Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:22-33

So I had recently had the opportunity to watch a couple different documentaries on some like excellent athletes. There's the last dance documentary, right, about Michael Jordan and the Bulls. But there's also one I saw, I don't know, gosh, I don't know how many years ago, but it might have been like two years ago. It was on a bunch of like excellent, incredible athletes. Wayne Gretzky was one of them. And I'm not a super big basketball fan, not a big super hockey fan. But it just, the excellence thing is the thing that just like so fascinating, so fascinates me. Like you have Jordan, you have Gretzky, and these people who were above and beyond virtually

everybody else who was competing in those sports, and they bring to the question like, what is it that makes a person that great? What makes a person that excellent? And it could just be talent, it could be hard work. It could be a lot of things. But there's a writer I just came across recently and he has said this. He said what often looks like a talent gap, when we look at those people who are incredibly excellent, he says what often looks like a talent gap is often a focus gap.

He says you can take an average or what makes an average or above average athlete or performer incredible is that they're able to eliminate distractions. And so he said the talent actually is staying focused. So look like a talent gap is actually a focus gap. The talent is staying focused. That these people, you know, Gretzky out on the ice and Michael Jordan in the course, they could take it all in, they could see it all, but they could then focus on what needed to be focused on rather than being distracted by all the distractions, I guess. And when it comes to excellent people, I like to focus. I think Peter is an excellent person. I think St. Peter often gets a bad rap because we're always like, oh, Peter, yeah, that chucklehead, you know.

He's the one who always puts his foot in his mouth, and he's the one. He's too eager. He says what he shouldn't say that he betrays Jesus. That's kind of a bad one. Today he sinks. like we focus on all these bad things about Peter. Like again, this knucklehead, chucklehead, one of the two. But I don't think we should miss this. Let's not miss this part. This whole section of the gospel begins with every one of the disciples, including Peter, acting in faith.

Like the story we just heard, proclaimed a second ago, begins with every one of the disciples, including Peter, acting in faith. Because why are all of the disciples? Why is Peter out in a second ago? a boat in the middle of the night in a storm on the sea. They're there because Jesus told them to be there. That's the only reason why any of those men would have gotten into a boat and gone out at night into a storm on the Sea of Galilee because it says that he made them get into the

boat and proceed him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. So we have to understand this. Faith got Peter into the boat long before faith got Peter out of the boat. That's so important for us to really wrap our minds around. Faith got Peter into the boat before faith got Peter out of the boat. Because I think for this, I think it looks like this. For most of us, the bulk of our lives look like that. For most of us, the bulk of our following after Christ looks like this. It looks like here we are in a boat, in a storm, in the dark, because Jesus would have us be there. That, that, that, that, a lot of us, I think, are sitting in a boat right now.

in the dark, in your vocation, in your discipleship, and you're following the Lord for one reason. Because Jesus would have you be there. But I think a lot of us, maybe, I don't know if this is you, but we're sitting in the boat right now and we're ready to get out. Not ready to like walk on water, but ready to abandon ship. And again, just like stop for the moment. If that's you, if you're in that place right now where it's like, yeah, that's how I feel. I'm in the boat because Jesus told me. to be here, but it's all dark and it's stormy and I hate it and I want to jump ship.

I have to ask the question that Jesus asked Peter and the question he asked him was why? Like why do you want to get out? Why do you want to stop? Because that's the question Jesus asked Peter. Now, of course Peter's out of the boat, right? And he's walking on water, he's doing something extraordinary. At least he was just before this, a moment before this.

But Jesus asks Peter the question. He says, why did you doubt? And he asks us sitting in the boat, the same question. You're in a boat, in the dark, in the storm. Why do you doubt? Because I think the real question Jesus is asking Peter, and he's asking us, is, why did you stop? Here's Peter walking on the water.

He's doing something incredible. He's doing, he's sharing in a miracle with Jesus. But then he sinks and why? Because he stops. The question that Jesus could be asking Peter is, why did you stop? No, I guess it clearly says that he doubted, and they asked the question, why did you do you? doubt, but the outward manifestation of doubt is that Peter stopped.

That faith moved Peter to walk and doubt caused Peter to stop walking. And faith is what moved you and I to get into the boat. And doubt is what often causes us to stop being in the boat. So Jesus asked the question, Peter, why'd you stop? I think Peter could give Jesus any number of answers. He could be like, um, well, first off, what, how, which, what do I choose? Number one, I'm exhausted. I have, it's four in the morning right now.

I have been up since yesterday morning because you wanted us to get away from all the crowds, but no, when they showed up, you had to heal them, you had to teach him, you had to feed 5,000 people. We had to be all the waiters and take care of all these things. We didn't get to sleep. I wanted to camp out right on the shore of Sea of Galley. You told us to get into the boat. And in the middle of the night, in the middle of a storm, I'm a fisherman, I knew the storm was

coming. And then also, I'm kind of scared right now. And also, because you made me walk on water, my sandals are all wet. That's why I stopped. Like, he could have all these reasons. Peter could have given Jesus any number of reasons why he stopped. And I think, you know, when we find ourselves in this position where the Lord has called us into a boat, into the storm, in the dark,

we can have a lot of reasons why we want to stop. If you find yourself in your vocation, maybe you're married. And I just want to stop. Why? Well, because we're different people now, because we've grown apart. This is not the person that I married. They don't listen to me. They don't care about me.

They don't love me. They don't respect me. There are all these reasons why I'm. I just want to stop when it comes to my marriage. Or even priests are like, someone's in their vocation, say, and they just want to stop. And you're like, well, why? Because they could say, why didn't get ordained a priest

to be an administrator of five parishes in rural Nowheresville? I could say something like, you know, I keep giving, keep serving, and no one responds. So I'm just going to stop. Or even just Catholics, just the average Catholic. Like, I just want to stop. I don't want to be Catholic anymore.

I want to stop this. Why? Because the church is too broken. The church is too backwards. The church is too much out of touch. The church is too political. The church is not political enough. Like, I just, and I'm done.

I just want to stop. These are all the reasons why I want to stop. Or maybe as your life is a disciple just like, no, I'm tired of following Jesus. I want to stop. And you say, why do you want to stop? Because I don't feel it. Because I'm afraid. I don't know.

It's too hard. Maybe I'd look at myself. I'm just two weeks. I just want to stop. I did a wedding for some friends a couple weeks ago and one of the things I tried to share with them is that the power of that day, like the beauty of that day is so important. But also it's just the beginning, right? It's just the beginning of a long walk. And so it's what I tried to communicate to them is it's one thing to love.

It's another thing to keep on loving. That it's one thing to make a promise. It's another thing to keep a promise. For us as followers of Christ, it's one thing to pray. It's another thing to keep on pray. And all Catholics, it's one thing to walk in faith, it's another thing to keep on walking in faith. So Jesus asks, Peter, why did you stop? Because you gave me a bunch of reasons.

I don't think any one of them are the reason. Because the reason why Peter stopped is the exact same reason why we want to stop. And it's not dramatic and it's not glamorous and it's not complicated. It is too simple and it's too obvious. and it's too prevalent in our lives. The answer is, why did you stop? Because I got distracted. Why did Peter stop?

He stopped because he got distracted. Up to this moment, he's walking on water. He is only one other person. In history has done what Peter is doing, and he's right in front of him. His name is Jesus, and he's also the only son of God. And they're both walking on water. He's doing something amazing.

And then what happens? Then he gets distracted. Scripture says, but then he saw the strength of the wind. He's got distracted by this. He saw how strong the wind was, and he became afraid, and then he doubted, and then he stopped, and then he sank. And I think that is for so many of us, if we're like, I just want to stop. That's why.

He says, I've been distracted. I've been... Distraction steals our focus, and the distraction can steal our lives. Oh, distraction, what is distraction? Here's the little definition. I think a distraction is anything that takes our focus away from where it needs. needs to be at any given moment. Our distraction is anything, can be anything, that takes our focus away from where it needs

to be at any given moment. So obviously we have the minor distractions of like media and social media and entertainment and other people's business that just distracts me. But there's also these deadly distractions that we have in our lives, whether we created them or whether they're just there. The deadly distractions of like, I don't know, like the strength of the wind when you're walking on the water. The fact that we live in a really dangerous world is a deadly distraction.

I can take my eyes off of the Lord and start focusing on, my gosh, there's not only there's one virus, there's a bunch of things out there that can kill me. That there's not just loss of this person, there's loss of everybody. Like, there is so much real suffering in this world that if we focus on that, if we let that steal our focus, if we let that distraction steal our focus, then we let it steal our lives. Pain. I mean, whether it be your pain or someone else's pain, pain of someone you love. These are real things.

These are deadly distractions. Poverty. Debt. His external deadly distractions. There's also internal deadly distractions. The internal ones that take our eyes off of Jesus as well. Like, I know so many people who will focus on their own weakness. That's that their sole preoccupation or focus on their own sin or on their own sickness or on their own brokenness. In fact, I know some people can become so preoccupied with how much of a sinner they are

that they've forgotten they have a Savior. So many people who can be so distracted by the their wounds, by their weaknesses, by their sins, that their whole life of discipleship is more about their brokenness and more about limiting their weakness than it is about having a relationship with Jesus. I've taken my eyes off of him. I'm just looking at my own sin and my own failures. And that can be a distraction.

Yes, obviously, caveat. We do have to acknowledge our own sins. We should do examinations of conscience, right? If there's something we can do like about a debt or about suffering, we should do something about this. But again, this is kind of a caveat moment. but I think that sometimes we get distractions wrong. I think that sometimes what I think could simply be a distraction is actually where I need to focus my attention.

I know this is off the rail, but just a little side, a little side journey. We'll take a little side journey. For example, sometimes what I think that's a distraction might actually be where I need to focus my attention. As an example in the gospel today and last week. Last week it said that Jesus was when he heard the death of John the Baptist, he went off by himself with his disciples so he could pray. So his intention was to pray. pray but then when he got to the place of prayer he was distracted by the people

and their needs and he could have said like no no no my plan for the day my plan for this is a long weekend for me and my buddies we're gonna go pray he said no that this distraction this interruption is what I need to refocus my attention see what happens though after they left he was back to the original intention after they left he goes up by the mountain by himself on the mountain by himself to pray Because again, this clear, we have to understand this. Sometimes the work of the moment is not what we had thought it would be. Sometimes the work of the moment is not what we wanted it to be.

Sometimes the work of the moment is something other than we had planned on. How do I know what to do then? I simply ask two questions. One question is, can I do something about this? Is this thing a distraction? Is it merely interruption or should I be still focused on it? Should I change my focus? Is this something I can do something about?

And second question is, is now the right time? If it's not, then it's simply a distraction. And it's simply a steal my attention. It's going to steal my life. It's going to steal my focus. Speaking of marriage, a bunch of years ago, I did a wedding of this couple. They're just awesome. Their names were Michael and Lisa, and they are phenomenal.

And I did their wedding in May, and I think it was August. It was like four months later, I did another wedding, and they were invited. their guests there. And at the wedding, I was talking about something like, you know, keep your marriage at the center of your life, at the center of your following Christ and all this stuff. And they came up to me afterwards and they said, oh my gosh, they said, Father, we needed to be at this wedding even more than we needed to be at our own wedding. They needed to be at their own wedding actually. But they said because it's only been four months and we realize we were talking about this right after the wedding mass, we've already moved on. Like,

we've already moved on to the next thing. Like it was okay, we're married, take care of that. Good. Now we'll just be married and now work and now career. And now we're now this and now this and this. They said they were already ready within four months to move on to the next thing rather than to keep their relationship the main thing. And they had let the next thing become the distraction from the main thing. You know, it's... Peter, he is an excellent human being.

He isn't... not perfect, but he can be taught, which is better than most of us, I think, because in Second Peter, he says something so powerfully. It's Second Peter chapter one. verse 19. He says that he recounts the fact that he and James and John saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain. Like he said, this is not a myth, that we actually saw this with our own eyes, that Jesus revealed himself as God, as the beloved son of the Father. And then he says, you would do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp in a dark place. Another way to say it is he's saying, you would do well to focus on this. You would do well to

to fix your focus on this truth, on him, this truth that Jesus is the beloved Son of God, as in a lamp in a dark place. When you're in a storm, when you're in the sea, and you're in the darkness, fix your gaze on this because Peter knew he had focused on the strength of the wind and the waves and he forgot the one who can ride the wind and treads upon the waves. He focused on how strong the wind was and he forgot how strong his Savior is. I can sometimes be focused on how broken I am and forget that Jesus is the one who has come to heal brokenness. This is the last thing.

For Peter, it's so simple. All the reasons, why did you stop? All these reasons, nothing weren't. None of those other reasons were the reason. The reason was I got distracted. So what happens is he begins to sink. And what does he do? he looks back to Jesus.

And you realize the moment, the instant he turned back to Jesus, Jesus was there. And this is true for you, it is true for me. When we get distracted, we think, I've screwed everything up. The instant, he turned back to Jesus, all Peter does is just returns his gaze and gives his focus, gives his attention, not to the distraction, but to Christ. And he says, three words, he says, Lord, save me. And the next line, next word that Matthew writes is immediately, Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.

The winds were strong, but the hand of his Savior was strong enough to rise above the waves. So in your storm, in your boat, in your walk, in the midst of distractions, Jesus is there. What looks like a talent gap is often a focus gap. It looks like the difference between the greatest sinner and the greatest saint, is a focus gap. And I think this author had it right. I think the talent is staying focused and not to stop.