And he when he had risen up, he ate and drank. And he walked by the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights, as far as the mountain of God, Horeb. (1Kings 19:8)
וַיָּ֖קָם וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּכֹ֣חַ ׀ הָאֲכִילָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה עַ֛ד הַ֥רהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽב׃
Qui, cum surrexisset, comedit et bibit et ambulavit in fortitudine cibi illius quadraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus usque ad montem Dei Horeb.
Mountain (הַר har) in Hebrew means any major elevation of land. In the Bible, it has not only geographical but also theological significance as a place of encounter with God. Mount Sinai, or Horeb and Zion, are inseparable from God. At Mount Sinai, a covenant was made between God and Israel (Exodus 1:24).
In today’s first reading (1 Kings 19), God calls the prophet Elijah to stand on the mountain before the Lord. It should be noted that Elijah took refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb when God called him. He only came out of it when, after the violent storm, the earthquake, and the fire that had swept through, there was peace and he heard the murmur of a gentle breeze. Then he heard the voice of the Lord, who sent him on a mission to where he had fled in fear of those seeking his life. The mountain, a lonely place, is a symbol of prayer and being in the presence of God. Elijah, after meeting God, comes down from the mountain transformed and full of the Lord’s power needed to fulfill the mission.
In today’s Gospel (Mt 14:22-33), the Lord Jesus dismisses everyone, the crowds, and also the disciples, and goes up the mountain himself to pray. In the morning, he returns to the disciples struggling with the gale at sea, walking on the rough waves. The experience of Peter, who wants to walk on water like Jesus, tells us that this requires not so much courage as faith. The sea is a symbol of evil, and walking on it means mastering it. Jesus has the power and our faith in Him gives us the power to walk over evil, all we need is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not be distracted by the turmoil that opposes us.
