Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Going Out from the Ship of the Church

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081014.cfm

At St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, before you enter the church and underneath the façade, there is a portico through which you must pass.  Inside the portico, above the entrance, is the image called the Navicella della Chiesa, that is, the "Ship of the Church."  It is a mosaic attributed to the great artist Giotto from the 14th Century, and it depicts Simon Peter walking on the water, beginning to sink, and the holy Savior reaching out to save him.  What is unique about this mosaic is not so much the beautiful art but its placement in the portico:  You do not see this image when you enter the church; you see this image when you exit the church.  In the gospel passage that this mosaic depicts (Mt 14:22-33), we see the boat of the disciples being rocked and buffeted by a storm in the fourth watch (a time between 3 and 6 AM).  All of a sudden they see a figure walking over the water, which was extremely frightening.  When Jesus gets close to the boat, St. Peter — who always speaks on behalf of the Twelve — says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  And so Jesus says, “Come.”  Now, pay close attention to what happens next:  St. Peter starts to walk out into the water, but when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened.  Imagine:  St. Peter, the first pope, took his eyes off Christ and he began to sink!  And when we take our eyes off Christ, we will sink as well.

This is the reason why the "Ship of the Church" image is meant to be seen when you exit St. Peter's — that we may not take our eyes off Christ when we go out into the world.  The same principle applies to us when we are in our parish church in Centerville or Hilltop Lakes (or wherever).  It is our Navicella, our ship, which is a refuge amidst the storms of this world.  When we come to together at the church to adore our Lord and Savior, to pray actively in the sacred liturgy, to receive His precious Body and Blood as a community of faith, this gospel is a reminder to us that we must not take our eyes off Christ when we depart the church.  Rather, we bring Him with us into the world.  Our universal vocation is to bring Christ into our marriage, into our family, into our friendships, into our work, into our service and political organizations.  But there is one thing we cannot do, one thing that is not an option, and that is to check Christ at the door.  Nevertheless, we know the risk we take when we leave the safety of our Navicella, our church.  We know the temptations, the dangers, and the pitfalls of walking toward Jesus on rough waters while trusting in Him; and at times we will fall, we will take our eyes off Christ.  St. Peter gives us an important example that when we fall we do not despair.  We simply call out, “Lord, save me!”  Our loving Lord immediately reaches out his venerable hand, and just like He saved Simon Peter, He will save us.  When we fall, we simply ask to be saved through the way Jesus gave us: the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  In this sacrament, Jesus reconciles us — “saves us” once again — and brings us back into loving Communion with Himself and with His holy Church.  This is the way we stay afloat in this life, and this is the way we affirm with the disciples, past and present, that Jesus is truly the Son of God and that He has given His Church the power to forgive sins.  It is how we keep our eyes focused on Christ, walking towards Him and His Kingdom until the end of time.