Tag: walking on water

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 14:22-33)

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.”

It is the fourth watch of the night, a dark hour. In the boat alone, the disciples have left Jesus to pray on the mountain after he had fed the five thousand. Then, in the midst of a storm that tosses about their boat, the disciples see a figure approach them on the water. They are terrified. Elijah, who took shelter in a cave also experienced the presence of God in a storm, in a landslide, in an earthquake, and in fire. But it was in none of these that the LORD was present. After the storms passed, Elijah heard a tiny whispering sound, and there the LORD was. In the same way, Jesus reveals his divine identity to the disciples in quiet, calming words: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” The disciples come to know Jesus by his words, and they proclaim: “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

God, just as Jesus reveals his identity to the disciples, I stand in disbelief of your presence. Unlike them, my response to you is not terror, not primordial fear; instead, subject to the modern age, I express conscious or unconscious skepticism each day as I consider how things come to be, how you are at work in the world. Still, you are present to me in the same way you were to Elijah and the disciples. Lord, you have authority over all of nature; you who calms the storms, give me the grace to put aside any frame of mind that prevents me from recognizing that you alone are God. “I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for his word,” says the Gospel acclamation. God, quiet my heart today so I can hear your voice.

From the responsorial psalm: “I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD — for he proclaims peace. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.” Lord, give me courage to love and serve you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

USCCB Readings

“When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’ They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.”

Today’s reading takes place in John’s Gospel immediately after the Multiplication of the Loaves, after which Jesus withdraws again to the mountain. It’s no surprise, then, that the disciples are afraid when they see him walking toward them on the water since they probably believe Jesus to be away from them. A strong wind was blowing; fear was in the air. This is one of many times when Jesus appears to the disciples and says, “Do not be afraid.” A quick Internet search reveals that this is said in the Bible 365 times—once for every day of the year.

God, help me understand that you are present even in the ordinary moments of the day when fear and anxiety pervade; you are present in every trial. In the midst of persecution, your words, Jesus, penetrate the depths of our being: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” At first, the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus, perhaps thinking he was a ghost. Since they had rowed out about three or four miles, they wanted to take Jesus into the boat but found the boat arrived immediately to shore.

Let me rest in knowing God is with me and that he can quiet whatever the storm that elicits fear. Let me know that God has his hand on my head, guiding me, showing me which way to go to arrive seemingly right away.

Today, a Saturday, will not produce the usual workaday trials, but there will be tasks to complete and timeframes to accommodate. Places to get to and the anxiety of getting there. God willing, today will bring, at worst, light stress. I want to remember, like Brother Lawrence, that God is with me even during mundane tasks like peeling potatoes. I want to recall throughout the day that the very Son of God will be beside me, saying, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”