Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 14,22-36
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once (Jesus) spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.
A Christian’s process
1) A moment of prayer. This is what we see in today’s Gospel. Jesus has a moment of interior dialogue with his Father, God. This is the time for you to walk away from the crowd in order to speak with God alone. We often want to stay in order to be in control, and it is hard to let go; you might even feel that blow to your heart because you do not dare leave those around you on their own. But you need to let go and it is necessary that you take some distance from others so you can talk to God about everything that is going on in your life and in your heart. Make the time to listen to everything that your Father, God, wants to tell you.
2)Moments of storm. The waves are larger than the boat; this leads to fear and panic. When you see that problems are larger than you; when you can’t control your boat because problems overwhelm you, then a desperate scream comes out and you are blinded. You don’t even know where you’re going because the stormy situation is taking over. It’s the moment during the storm where troubles get into your boat, like they get into your life. You desperately start looking for a way to take the water out of the boat, so it doesn’t sink. And the waves are also rocking your boat. The strong wind changes your course, and the water inside wants to sink you. In your desperation you shout: “Lord, save me!” because you can’t handle it anymore.
3) The moment of calm. Then Jesus appears… At first, we do not recognize him; we do not understand the situation. He’s coming towards us… that reassures us, but it doesn’t look good. Everything at first is confusing. You have to wait a moment until you recognize Him. All God is asking of you is to not be afraid. Remember “don’t be afraid” because we can face everything if we are with Him. However, you must look for Him and that’s where the calm starts. The process of wanting to go out and meet Him begins.
This demands that you have faith and take a risk. If your faith in Him falters…you need to trust Him, so you don’t fall. Don’t let what happened to Peter happen to you: in the middle of his walk of faith, he doubted and began to sink.
Don’t sink. Doubts will appear, but God will always lift you up. Trust Him, don’t be afraid. He takes your hand and lifts you up. Don’t be afraid if He comes to you. Don’t be afraid! He will step into your boat and will give you peace. Don’t be afraid because there is always calm after the storm. Don’t be afraid because after all this darkness the Light appears. You may end up wet, but you will not drown. You may end up beaten, but not defeated. You might end up with a crashed boat, but not sunk in the middle of the ocean. You might be like Peter who almost sank, but instead he was embraced by Jesus and taken forever by Him. Don’t be afraid!!!!
God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Always remember, Heaven is our goal!
