Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-36

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

In today’s gospel, 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.

In today’s gospel reading, we hear the miracle of Jesus walking on the water.  This story has many aspects including fear, trust, and doubt.  I think we all experience these same conditions probably in that same order.  It was out of fear that the apostles called out Jesus and he approached them on the water.  They also expressed fear when the witnessed Jesus on the water not knowing who he was.  When they experience Jesus in his wonder awe and they develop a level of trust.  But unfortunately, that trust is generally followed by doubt.  The message is clear, 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