Much of our fear, our worry, emanates from a lack of trust. Today’s Gospel is meaningful to us all because we are all like Peter. We want to believe, we want to make that jump but we are human and we find it difficult.
In honesty Jesus’s commands are not difficult. The inherent simplicity of the Christian faith is what we struggle with most of out lives.
To put it simply: we are asked to love and be loved. This is the raging water that we are asked to walk upon, in which we meet Jesus. It is not easy.
Perhaps today we may use the Gospel to redefine the simplicity of our call. Yes, the simplicity. And IN its simplicity is the hardship. We must try to love beyond the boundaries of our landmass and enter into the fullness of God’s celestial ocean. How, and with whom, we are going to do that is up to us.
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you
And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind.
In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying,
‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.‘ lt was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.‘
‘Come‘ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?‘ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God’.
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.