Word to the Wise
Monday, August 4, 2008 - St. John Vianney (the Curate of Ars)
[Jeremiah 28:1-17 and Matthew 14:22-36]When the disciples saw [Jesus] 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." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; 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?"
Peter asks to do the same thing as Jesus is doing! Since Jesus has already told them they could do the very same things he would (cf. Matt. 10:1), he challenges Peter in a very personal way by simply replying to Peter's impulsive request: "Come!" Needless to say, it is no easy task to "play God." Peter discovers this and discovers that he cannot walk on water without Jesus' help! It is the combination of challenge and support in this famous incident that characterizes the life of a disciple in the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew, like the other gospels, was written for those who came after Jesus had died and risen. The new community was beginning to experience the trials and tribulations of persecution and weakness. (The image of the Church as the "Bark of Peter" is taken from this incident) In the midst of this, they were experiencing grave fear and difficulty in fulfilling the mission entrusted to them by Jesus (Matt. 28:16-20). It would be easy to forget the words of Jesus: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid!" My experience in working with college students continually showed me examples of this in well-motivated young people who found it so hard to be faithful to the teachings of Christ in the midst of all that was offered to them by the secular world around them. At times, the task seemed impossible, given their idealism and time of life and the attractiveness of some of the options. The plain fact is that we (and they) cannot overcome it all by ourselves. Like Peter, we begin to sink in the face of the storm and we must cry out: "Lord, save me!" Discipleship is a combination of daily effort and daily faith. We cannot do without either of them. Jesus tells us that we can walk on water and do the many acts of discipleship that he has entrusted to us. But, we cannot do these without reliance in faith on his presence, which he has promised if only we will recognize it! "Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) AMEN
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