Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 - St. John Vianney - the Curate of Ars
[Numbers 12:1-13 and Matthew 14:22-36]"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come."
There's an old saying: Be careful what you pray for, you may get it! Of course, Peter could not have read or seen The Wizard of Oz and especially Bert Lahr as the lion who needed courage! He discovers very quickly that his courage is not up to the task that he prayed he would be able to do: to walk on the water to Jesus. He discovers that it is hard to keep one's attention focused on the Lord when lots of other things are battling against that attention! I think there is a common misperception about courage (or, as tradition sometimes calls it: fortitude) to the effect that this virtue is present only to the extent that fear is gone! A healthy courage is one that leads a person to persevere in the face of justified fears about the risks and dangers involved, and not so much in spite of those risks and dangers. The reason Peter should have had courage should have been his faith in the assurances of Jesus: Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid! Instead Peter wanted Jesus to "prove" his identity! If the true source of courage is held "in abeyance" by skepticism, no wonder all the trials and challenges such as that wind can seem overwhelming! Once Peter recognizes his need for the Lord's help in doing the courageous thing, he gets all the help he needs. The heart of courage is the heart of the Lord and that heart is ever open to us in time of need. But we must not think we have the right to "interview" before accepting! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
85 ms
4
