He will carry us if we believe in Him

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” In today’s gospel (Matthew 14:22-36), we hear about the miracle of Jesus walking on water. The apostles had taken a boat to cross Lake Gennesaret, a very large lake which commonly experiences strong storms. While crossing the lake, one of the fierce storms had formed causing the apostle to fear for their lives. They cried out for help. Jesus, up in the mountains praying, hears their cries for help and comes to their rescue. The apostles see Jesus walking on water and this too frightens them. Peter cries out, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” Jesus calls Peter forth from the safety of the boat. Peter leaves the boat and begins to walk on the raging seas toward Jesus. However, Peter’s faith is weak and he begins to doubt and sink into the raging waters. Realizing who his savior is, Peter cries out to Jesus, “Lord, save me.” Jesus reaches out to Peter and says, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus and Peter get into the boat with the rest of the disciples and the waters are calmed.

This story demonstrates that we must trust in the Lord and have faith in his powers. We must realize that all our strength and ability come from God and not from us. However, even if we begin to let the raging waters consume us and experience doubt, we can still cry out to the Lord and he will save us. When we are facing the raging waters of life, Christ is there to help us. He will carry us if we believe in Him. Peter believed in the power Christ and left the boat. He stepped into the raging waters. We too may be called to leave the security of the boat and to enter the raging waters. We will face many challenges in our life, some of them beyond our imagination. We must trust in the Lord; we must realize that he is truly the “Son of God.” Only through him can we walk on water and calm the seas. It is his power that allows us to accomplish great miracles. If we do not have faith, how can God help us? If we deny his power, God will cease to help us. We must be willing to come to Christ and accept him as all powerful.

A Simple Prayer Lord, if it is your will, bid me come to you on the water. Give me the strength to trust you and If I experience doubt and weakness, May I cry out to you for help.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon