I have a two and half year old little boy at home. My son is about as 100% summer boy as you can get. Despite plenty of sunscreen he has a great little farmer’s tan going. He’s got bumps and bruises from a summer of jumping off play sets, climbing on rocks, and chasing frogs and rabbits. At the end of the day he is usually pretty tuckered out from playing so much outside. I’m telling you, it’s the good life.
The other day we were playing catch (more like fetch as his catching ability has room for improvement), and after a particularly good throw on his part, he got all excited and did a sort of running handstand on the downward slope of the driveway. He isn’t strong enough to hold his handstand for very long and consequently banged his face into the asphalt. A minor bloody lip and a bit of a surprise was all he had, but the look he gave me said, “Am I hurt?”
I learned long ago that the appropriate response to when one of your kids falls down is exuberant positivity. Sometimes we yell, “Safe!” as if they just swiped second base in a baseball game. Sometimes we shout, “You’re okay!” Which is a terrible response for an adult, but perfect for a two year old. Most of the time we just say, “Whoopsie!” and pick them up and smile.
Learning the appropriate response to any situation or event is a key step in growing in maturity. For the same reason we bristle at the teenager who is disgusted when they encounter a homeless person, we snicker at the audience member who dozes off at a concert. Responding in the best way to a situation matters.
In the gospel this Sunday, we hear about Jesus walking on water, inviting Peter out of the boat, teaching about faith, and calming the storm. What an incredible miracle. Simply because it is so amazing and radical, this walking on water miracle is the subject of many a comic strip, bad golf joke, and comedy sketch. Walking on water is so incredible that one way to respond to it is to make it a joke.
However, the disciples don’t respond that way. Instead they “did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” (Mt 14:33). Following this miracle, they worshiped Jesus as God. The appropriate response to Jesus and to his miraculous work is homage. In our modern use homage means to publicly honor someone. In other worships, to worship him.
However the historical use of the word is a reference to the public declaration that another person is your lord or superior. Homage originally made reference to the ceremony by which a feud would declare his loyalty and submission to his lord or king.
So when we encounter Jesus, the right response is worship. When we experience a miracle, the fullest response is paying homage to Jesus Christ the miracle worker.
Live It: When was the last time you declared your faith in Jesus publicly? If it’s been a while, come to Mass where we declare Jesus as Lord every time we say the Creed.
HNOJ Good Word 