What a dramatic scene St. Matthew recounts for us! The apostles are in a boat being tossed about by a fierce storm that terrified even the experienced fishermen among them! Our Lord was not with them, preferring to remain on land relishing time in solitude and prayer. From his vantage point overlooking the sea, he observed the violent squall but curiously waits until the storm is ominous before he acts.
He allows the apostles to contend with the wind and waves. At times the Lord is like that with us when we find ourselves in the stormy times of life. Pope St. John XXIII liked to say, “It seems that the Lord always arrives a quarter of an hour later than we expect.” His timing is not our timing. He may allow us to swallow a lot of salt water but he doesn’t let us down. And so, it was for the apostles but they did not recognize Jesus at first thinking they were seeing a ghost.
Jesus reassures them, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” But the ever impulsive St. Peter just has to speak up. He wants to know if the mysterious figure is actually Jesus and challenges him: “If it is really you, command that I come to you on the water.” In his desire for certainty, he is not unlike my dear patron, St. Thomas! Jesus accepts the challenge: “Come!”
Amazingly Peter gets out of the boat. I should think that the apostles thought that he had lost his mind and tried to pull him back into the boat. But Peter actually starts out walking on the water, his eyes fixed on the Lord but then looking at the raging waves and feeling the violent wind, he begins to sink. He can only cry out to the Lord in desperation. Jesus grasps Peter and saves him but then gently rebukes his brash apostles for his doubt and lack of faith.
Our Lord could have first calmed the storm and gotten into the boat. But he allowed the storm to rage and have Peter confront the wind and waves that were so frightening. Our Lord may have sought to gauge the extent of his trust.
This is often the Lord’s challenge to us…to trust precisely when we find ourselves amid life’s storms. We can be as overwhelmed as Peter. The more we look at our problems and the less we look at Jesus, the larger and more unsolvable , and terrifying our problems look. We have to redirect our attention and keep focused on the Lord…his presence, his power and his benevolence. This was the challenge of Our Lord to Peter and to us. Only when Jesus saves Peter does the storm cease.
Only when Jesus is in the boat does peace prevail. Only then can we profess with Peter: “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Our prayer today might be:
