Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 17, 2021 - 2nd Week of Easter - Sat
[Acts 6:1-7 and John 6:16-21]When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the dea and coming near the board, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid." They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. [John]
In the Gospel According to John, every "sign" or "work" that Jesus performs has one purpose: to reveal him as the one sent by God. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes immediately precedes the account of Jesus walking on the sea. Both these signs are moments of revelation. They echo important themes from the Old Testament of God feeding the Israelites in the desert and deliverance through the waters of the sea and, most importantly, the encounter of Moses with God in which God reveals God's name: I AM!. (Although the English text translates the Greek as "It is I!," the Greek says, "I am!") We will see the importance of that revelation in the discourse that will soon follow, known as the "Bread of Life" discourse.
Our everyday lives may not seem to us to be as "dramatic" as the events recounted in the gospels, especially in the Gospel According to John. But, when we recount stories of our lives, the very telling brings others into our lives as good drama and story-telling can do and the outline of revelation is revealed. Often on retreats, I challenge the retreatants to do a "history" of prayer, learning, loving and serving in their lives. In doing this, the moments of revelation often appear and we can experience Jesus' words, "Do not be afraid! I AM!" The moments may, indeed, be stormy ones as in today's gospel, but they may also be like the multiplication of the loaves and fishes when we were able to do a lot with very little and find ourselves wondering how we managed to do it. It is the same Jesus who feeds us and calms us. He is the one whom God has sent. AMEN