Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
August 9, 2025
In our lives, we are never alone. Our family, friends, people, and society may leave us, but God never leaves us. He comes to us in our greatest needs, when it seems that we can no longer do anything. The main thing is to be able to see God coming to our aid.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Beloved, today we hear the Gospel about an adventure that happened to the apostles. About how they were sailing in a boat to the other shore, and a storm arose. And it is important that Christ was not there. But when He came, the storm subsided, and they safely reached the shore.
You know, very often such a storm, the sea, is a symbol of our life. Because indeed, those waves, troubles, and worries fill us up, and sometimes we don’t know what to do. And we remember that when the apostles saw someone walking on the water, they were very frightened because they thought it was a ghost. But when they saw that it was Christ, and when they were convinced that it was Christ, they rejoiced. And then there was peace.
In our lives, when we are in such troubles and worries, it is important for us to see God coming to our aid. We are never alone. Our family, friends, people, and society may leave us, but God never leaves us. He comes to us in our greatest needs, when it seems that we can no longer do anything. But what is important for us? It is to be able to see Him. Not to be afraid, but to be able to see Him, the One who comes to us. Not a ghost, not a phantom, not someone else, but to know that it is Him. And in order to know this, we must work on our faith.
The faith that was given to us as a small seed must grow in us. Our relationship with God must develop every day, every minute. Because faith, I emphasise again and again, is not tradition, it is not custom, and it is not a tribute to parents, grandparents, and ancestors. Faith is a living, real relationship with our God. If this relationship does not develop, then our faith will remain at the same level. It will not grow.
How can we develop it? Probably through prayer, through personal communication with our loving Father, through participation in the holy sacraments—Confession and Communion—through reading the Holy Scriptures, and through every opportunity to hear His will, to hear His Word in our lives, and to act in accordance with that will and that Word.
The Apostle Peter says, “Lord, if it is You, let me come to You on the water,” and Christ says, “Come.” He got up, got out of the boat, and walked. But he looked around again, doubted, and fell. So it is in our lives. We see God, we know where He is, and we understand that He is coming to us, but looking at everything that is happening, we can say, “God, how can You help me with this?” And we fall again and drown because we turn our gaze away from God, from the purpose of our lives. But Peter is again an example for us because he did not drown. But, raising his eyes to Christ, he said again, “Lord, save me, for I am perishing.” Christ gave him His hand, he took it, and the two of them sat safely in the boat, and the storm subsided.
So let us learn to see the Lord who is with us. Let us learn to entrust our lives to Him, despite everything that is happening and that we cannot explain. Let us develop our faith; let us be close to Him so that our faith may be alive, active, and burning with good deeds and mercy. For we remember that faith without works is dead. And God, who is in our lives, is able to calm all the storms, all the winds, and all the waves so that we, together with Him and with others—for Peter was not alone, but the apostles were with him—so that we, together with everyone, can sail in the boat that is the Church to the quiet harbour of the Kingdom of Heaven.
