“So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.”
Again, Peter and John are together after Jesus’ resurrection. On Easter morning, John arrives first to the tomb and recognizes in the absence of Jesus his presence. “Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.” Here, John says from the boat, “It is the Lord.”
God, help me see Jesus in the presence of others. You choose to make yourself known not only in others but also in the Eucharist. When I receive Jesus during Communion, help me exclaim as Peter did: “It is the Lord!” As Mother Teresa said, “Seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, all the time, and his hand in every happening; This is what it means to be contemplative in the heart of the world. Seeing and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
It’s so easy to disregard God’s presence throughout the day and humanly impossible to pray always. But with God, nothing is impossible, and every day is an invitation to trust in God’s grace to be able to see what is true in the circumstances of the day. I think Peter is the perfect example of one who initially rejects God and finds his redemption in responding to Jesus’ invitation to trust: “Cast the net . . . and you will find something.”
Help me see you, God, in every moment of this day and in the face of others, especially those closest to me, whom I often take for granted. When Jesus walked on water, Peter began to walk on water to meet him but became afraid of the wind and started to sink, crying, “Lord, save me!” Today, let me be like Peter, unafraid to jump into the sea to see the Lord in every person I meet.