Fr. Michael Williams

The story of Jesus ‘walking on the lake’ seems to have a comic side to it. He seems to have wanted to surprise His disciples. And they were certainly surprised when He walked up to their storm tossed boat. ’“It is a ghost” they said, and cried out in fear’. I wonder whether Jesus had a wry smile on His face at this point. I must admit, I am always amused, when I walk into a room and the person does not hear me coming, and all of a sudden they see me, and nearly jump out of their skin. It is very amusing. Although my mother doesn’t always seem to think so!

So Jesus must have had a sense of humor, and He most certainly laughed when it was appropriate. I’m sure the episode of Jesus ‘walking on the lake’ raised a smile in Jesus’ face. But of course there is a more serious side to the event of Jesus walking on the water. Ultimately, Jesus wanted His disciples to know more about Him and so to deepen their faith in Him, who is ‘the Son of God’.

The disciples who were in the boat, were the ones whom the Lord would build His newly founded Church upon. They would have to have great faith in Him, for He knew they would suffer much for following Him in the future. Jesus wanted them to be unshakeable in their faith in Him. Their faith would need testing on a regular basis, so that it is strengthened. An Olympic athlete needs to train and test their physical capabilities, so that they can become effective in their sport. In the spiritual life our faith needs training and testing to strengthen it. If our faith in Jesus was never tested we would soon lose faith.

The gospels contain many episodes of the disciples and their lack of faith, and today’s gospel is a perfect example of this. The first of the Apostles, Peter, initially shows courage and faith by saying to Christ, ‘if it is you , tell me to come to you across the water’. This shows that there is some faith there. But when Peter feels the force of the wind, ‘he took fright’ and began to sink beneath the waves. St Augustine says that the stormy sea is symbolic of the turbulent world we live in. And the storms of life, interior and exterior, can make us feel that we are sinking beneath life’s uncertainties. Yet Peter did the right thing when he called out, ‘Lord! Save me!’ This is the key point for us. Like Peter there are times when we need to call out, ‘Lord! Save me!’ Not to do this may mean we are engulfed and overcome by the storms. ‘The storms can [actually] be good for deepening our faith’ (O’ Flynn), as they can make us turn more and more to the Lord. In times of trial and difficulty we need to draw closer to the Lord through the Mass, through prayer, through silent contemplation.

There would be other times Peter and these first disciples would fail in their faith. Remember Peter denying Jesus three times after Our Lord had been arrested and taken prisoner. When we have fail in our faith like that, we must also do what Peter did, which was to repent and re-commit ourselves to the Lord. And let’s not forget that by the end of his life Peter put his faith in the Lord, when he was crucified on the Vatican Hill. Amidst the storm of his pain and suffering- in his last hour -Peter would once again call out to the Lord, who never abandons us and has to the power to deliver us from death.

Peter went from being a ‘man of little faith’ to being a man of great faith. Let’s pray that our life will be a time of growing in our faith and trust in the Lord. That the storms of life will prompt us to rely more and more on Christ, who wants to lead us to the shore, that is the peace and tranquility of Heaven.