At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
The disciples aren't used to people coming to them by walking on the water. Naturally, they're afraid. Jesus reassures them but it isn't enough. So what would we do? Probably, we would ask Jesus to come closer to us, possibly to get in the boat with us where we can see him more clearly. And so we have to love Peter. He's on a boat in the middle of a crazy storm. And he wants Jesus to assert his identity, not by coming to him, but by enabling Peter to come out to Jesus. At other times Jesus does reveal himself from the boat by calming the storm. He is the one whom even the winds and the seas obey. But clearly this proof is even greater. Peter standing atop of the waves themselves defies any explanation other than the power of Jesus.
Jesus wants to reveal his power in us in this way. He wants us to come out from our comfort zones in order to come to him. He wants us to rely on his power to participate in his mission. If we do this we experience more deeply the truth of who he is. We experience that truth to a lesser degree when he helps us to have peace in our day to day circumstances. But when he empowers us to come out into the deep (cf. Luk. 5:4) we confront the reality of who he is in a new and deeper way.
And of course we sometimes fail. We sometimes sink. Our faith is never enough. But we aren't called to rely on our own abilities. Even when we sink Jesus is there to save us if we just reach out to him and take his hand.
And, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Even when we fail hard and we sink of the consequences of our own envy the LORD is merciful when we acknowledge our sin.
They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?”
Miriam and Aaron are jealous of the closeness of the LORD to Moses. And we may be jealous of those we see balancing on the waves with more agility than ourselves. We may complain about this and therefore sink even deeper and faster. But when we realize that the LORD is there with his hand outstretched we too can find healing.
“Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin
that we have foolishly committed!
Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe
that comes forth from its mother’s womb
with its flesh half consumed.”
Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”
We are forced to acknowledge that we sink because we take our eyes off the LORD and focus on the waves. But when we acknowledge this and turn our eyes back to him he lifts us up back into the boat. He creates clean hearts for us and places within us a spirit steadfast enough that we can keep our fixed on him (cf. Heb. 12:2). Even the smallest touch of the Son of God is enough. Even a mere tassel of his cloak can convey his healing power.
May Saint John Vianney reveal to us those areas where we are looking to the wind and the waves. May he show us where we choose to sink rather than look to Jesus and take his hand. May he pray for us that we may have the grace to look to Jesus, to reach out to him, and take his hand.
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