Sunday, August 9, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
•1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
By Marc Massery
In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we hear one of the most memorable stories in Scripture, which gives us insight into the psychology of trust.
In the evening, Jesus goes up on a mountain by Himself to pray while the apostles take a boat a few miles out into the Sea of Galilee. The wind blows mightily that night, tossing the vessel about the waves. Early in the morning, Jesus comes walking on the sea toward them, but they don’t recognize Him, mistaking Him for a ghost. Matthew writes:
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. (Mt 14:27-29)
Every Christian has, at some point in their faith, struggled to trust in Jesus. Is He who He says He is? Peter’s response to Christ reveals his ambivalence. He calls Jesus “Lord,” but then he asks for proof. He both believes and disbelieves. As fallen creatures, we are rather unbalanced. When it comes to matters of faith, we frequently have doubts — or at the very least questions. The doubts passing through our heads, though, do not matter as much as the actions we take in response to them. Every time we act out of fear and disbelief, we strengthen our own fearful impulses and hurt our relationship with the Lord. On the other hand, every time we act in faith, even if we feel unsure, we take a step toward greater trust in Christ.
Peter does all any of us can do when filled with doubt — He tells the Lord about it. Then, he follows the Lord's commands. When Jesus calls him to come, Peter steps out of the boat and miraculously begins walking on the water toward Jesus. He experiences first-hand the power of God, which he would have missed out on had he not given trust a chance.
As Jesus tells St. Faustina in her Diary:
The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. (1578)
Upon defying the laws of gravity, you’d think Peter would never doubt again. But even while he’s suspended on the sea, doubt wastes no time creeping back in. It says, “[H]e saw how [strong] the wind was [and] he became frightened” (Mt 14:30).
The world presents many dangers, which the sensible man can avoid if he listens to reason. Jesus, however, tells us not to be afraid. This doesn't mean we need to unreasonably throw ourselves into danger at any chance we get. It does, however, mean that we need to face threat and discomfort when the Lord calls us to. Peter, though, was an expert seaman. So in this instance, he had more of a reason to trust in his own sensibilities. He knew the danger of the open water. Surely, he had heard of someone who had drowned in the Sea of Galilee. Perhaps he had even witnessed someone drowning firsthand. With so much awareness of the dangers he faced, he chose to listen to reason. He must have resolved to get back into the boat to try to save himself, because then he begins to sink: “[A]nd, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Mt 14:30).
Even if we have witnessed the power of the Lord in our lives, as fallen human beings, we are always prone to giving in to doubt. Thankfully, the Lord is merciful to us when we fall short. As soon as Peter loses faith, he does what we all ought to do following a failure of faith — he called out to the Lord for help and Jesus saved him.
{shopmercy-ad}
