Rev. Fr. Michael ADEBOLA

My dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday to you all. May we continue to enjoy the saving power of God in our lives. One of the most intriguing and ecstatic experiences in the life of the human person is the experience of God's manifestation *(Epiphany),* that is, God revealing Himself to mere mortals. It is an awesome experience which can also be scary at times as in the cases of Prophet Elijah in today's first reading and the disciples in the Gospel reading. Most times, we desire to experience God's revelation in physical terms, but as fascinating as it may seem in our thoughts, it is many at times a dreadful encounter. The likes of Moses, Elijah, Peter and Paul who had such encounters never remained the same till they heard the voice of peace that brought calmness to their anxiety; the voice which declared "Do not be afraid it is I the LORD."

Dear friends in Christ, our first reading and the gospel share some similarity with regards to illustrations of God's manifestation or revelation in the history of salvation. In the first reading, God revealed himself to Elijah at Horeb, the Mount of God and in the Gospel, Jesus manifested his power over nature in the presence of his disciples on the Sea. We should note that Elijah  travelled to Horeb to meet God before he had that beautiful encounter and the disciples too were just returning from where they experienced the nature-defying feeding of the five thousand with a mere five loaves and two fish.

For the disciples, one could say the feeding of the five thousand was an encounter in preparation for a greater encounter. At this juncture, one needs to ask- why did Jesus walk on the sea towards them, knowing fully well that fear was an expected human reaction? Perhaps, the disciples were still in doubt and confusion regarding how five loaves and two fish could feed more than five thousand. Maybe their faith was still fickle and incapable of understanding the power behind Christ's Sonship and the divine authority he possessed, which meant that he could do anything, hence, truncating their ability to understand that all power and authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Him, which He manifested over the sea.

My dear friends in Christ, it is pertinent to know that when we are in the presence of God or when God is with us, nothing is impossible, to the glory of His name, As a result, faith and courage are always required in such circumstances. In our spiritual journey, a leap of faith is always pertinent. In the midst of turbulence and confusion, Peter summoned courage and ignited his faith to walk up to Jesus, but the moment he allowed fear to overshadow his faith and courage he began to sink. Thank God he was wise enough to know Jesus could save him and asked Him for help.  No doubt, it is not always easy but His grace is always sufficient.

The dramatic manifestation of Jesus' power on the waters evidently caused great panic to the disciples. Jesus saw that their fear was greater than their faith. As people who had been under his tutelage, it was expected that their faith ought to be bigger than their fear, prompting Jesus to say to Peter "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:32).

Instructing us too, Christ demands that our fear should not be bigger than our faith.  In the presence of God, faith must grow bigger than challenges. God is able to calm all our anxieties, worries, panics and turbulence of life, so He continuously reminds you and I - "Do not be afraid, it is I". He did not create us to live in fear; he wants us to live above fears and worries.

Dear brothers and sisters, one of the reasons why we should never allow fear to subdue us is because it distorts the frequency the human person needs to function optimally,  it hinders the mind from  confronting the reality around it. Whether good or bad, we must learn to face the reality of life before us. Christ keeps telling us not to entertain fear nor feel intimidated by anything incomparable to God's power. How can we ever get the message of God right or remain steadfast in faith if we are consumed by our fears?

One practical way of overcoming fear is fixing our eyes on Christ in faith. Peter in our Gospel reading today was getting it right not until the moment he allowed fear to incapacitate him, and he began to drown. Dear friends, Jesus does not want us to drown in the ocean of fear and confusion. He is stretching His hand to you and telling you today not to be afraid. Rather than allow fear overwhelm you, why not call on God? Pray and ask for help. My dear friends, God has blessed us with a weapon that shatters fear, that weapon is prayer!

Many experience difficult situations and disappointment, some of us are carrying burdens weighing us down, giving us sleepiness nights. Some events occur in our lives and get us scared. These include life threatening challenges, scary dreams and even the present predicaments besieging our country Nigeria, such as joblessness, harsh economy and insecurity that have led many to untimely death, hunger and depression. *These* tragedies are enough to create apprehension and great panic. Some are unnecessarily apprehensive for different reasons best known to them. The weapon to shatter your fear is prayer! Pray with faith and God will surely come through for you. Jesus our Master was fond of going to a lonely place to pray as today's Gospel illustrates. Why can't you pray? Are you too lazy to pray? Is your faith so weak?

My dear Friends in Christ, God's power is real and He is able to deliver us. Fear is "False Evidence Appearing Real." Do not be intimidated. You have God on your side. In Matthew 28 Jesus assures us that He is with us till the end of time. He did not abandon Peter and the disciples to perish, He will not abandon us. Let us normalize calling on God's name in every situation. He will surely stretch out his saving hand to deliver us.

Prayer: Lord, let your loving presence dispel the darkness and fear around me, give me the courage and faith to acknowledge you and call on you as my Saviour and my God. Amen.