19th Sunday of the Year (A)
Mt 14: 22 – 33
«Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus»
Dear brethren:
In
today´s gospel we hear the passage that narrates the moment in which the
disciples saw Jesus walk on the water (cf. Mt
14: 22 – 33). We are told that «when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified» (Mt 14: 26). It seems that the disciples
were not only surprised by this situation, but also afraid of it. And they were
overtaken by fear until they recognized the voice of their Master who said: «Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid»
(Mt 14:27).
“This
is an episode from which the Fathers of the Church drew a great wealth of
meaning. The sea symbolizes this life and the instability of the visible world;
the storm points to every kind of trial or difficulty that oppresses human
beings. The boat, instead, represents the Church, built by Christ and steered
by the Apostles.”[1]
We too can draw valuable lessons for our own life as
we see how Jesus teaches “the disciples to bear life’s adversities
courageously, trusting in God, in the One who revealed himself to the Prophet
Elijah on Mount Horeb”[2] in
the whispering of a gentle breeze (cf. 1
Kings 19:12).
«Do not be afraid»
According
to the gospel´s text, «after he had fed
the people, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the
other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds» (Mt 14:22). This verse makes reference to the immediate previous
episode of the gospel in which Jesus feed «about
five thousand men, not counting women and children» (Mt 14:21) after blessing five loaves and two fishes (cf. Mt 14: 13 – 21).
So,
after the “miracle of the loaves”, Jesus sends away the crowds and his
disciples, and decides to go up on a mountain to pray alone (cf. Mt 14:23). After so much activity and
encounter with so many people, the Lord needs a moment of recollection,
intimacy and rest with God.
Surely
we can think that all these experiences may have been very intense for the
disciples too. Through these experiences they were getting to know his Master; they
were learning from his deeds and words, and, at the same time, they were witnessing
the presence of the Kingdom of God in
their midst.
Therefore
we can also suppose that by the time the disciples were in the boat, that «was being tossed about by
the waves, for the wind was against it» (Mt 14:24), they were
tired by the long day and unready for the sing Jesus was about to perform.
So,
tired and unready as they were, the disciples were not able to recognize Jesus
when he approached them walking on the water. In fact, «when the disciples saw him walking on the
sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear» (Mt
14:26). However, Jesus calms his fears saying to them: «Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid» (Mt 14:27).
«Come»
And
as the disciples hear the voice of their Master, peace and confidence return to
their hearts. Once more, we see that the disciple has the ability not only to
hear the voice of his Master, but also to recognize that voice in the middle of
so many noises and distractions. And this is so because “faith’s hearing
emerges as a form of knowing proper to love: it is a personal hearing, one
which recognizes the voice of the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn 10:3-5).”[3]
 |
| Christ and Saint Peter in the lake.Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Fiume, Croatia. October, 2008. |
Realizing
that was Jesus the one walking on the water, Peter wants to follow him and
imitate him. He has heard the voice of Jesus; he has recognized that voice and
has placed on it his obedience and trust. Therefore he sets forth when Jesus
says to him: «Come» (Mt 14:29).
And
that is what faith is all about: to hear, to recognize, to believe and to act
accordingly. That is what our founder, Fr. J. Kentenich, would call a practical
faith in Divine Providence.
Even though «Peter got out of
the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus», the text of the gospel says that «when he saw how [strong] the wind was he
became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”»
(Mt 14: 29 – 30).
«Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus» (Heb
12:2)
So,
what happened to Peter? What happened to his trust and faith? “Peter walks on
the water, not by his own effort but rather through divine grace in which he
believes. And when he was smitten by doubt, when he no longer fixed his gaze on
Jesus but was frightened by the gale, when he failed to put full trust in the
Teacher’s words, it means that he was interiorly distancing himself from the
Teacher and so risked sinking in the sea of life.”[4]
Yes,
even though Peter believed in the word of Jesus, he centered his attention not
in his Master´s voice and presence, but on the strength of the wind and so he
becomes frightened. His fears overcome his faith and trust.
The
same can happen to us. When we pay too much attention to the difficulties of
our life and become pessimistic; when we try to solve everything just with our
own forces and capacities, then we start to feel the strength of the winds of
life and begin to sink in a sea of worries and hopelessness.
What
can we do to avoid this? We need to «keep
our eyes fixed on Jesus» (Heb 12:2). Yes, in the middle of all our worries
and problems; in the middle of all our difficulties and fears, -even in the
midst of our weaknesses and sins- we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.
If we keep our eyes and our hearts sets on Him, then
we will be able to dominate the winds of challenges and the sea of life. And so
our everyday life will become a path that leads us to the encounter with God
and to the fullness of life. As the psalmist says: «You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your
presence, at your right hand happiness forever» (Psalm 15 (16):11).
Lets us ask our Blessed Mother, Mater fidei – Mother of faith; that she may teach us to fix our
eyes and our hearts on her son Jesus Christ. We do so saying:
“Help
me to learn more and more the spirit of prayer
and
always lift my heart to the stars of heaven.
Let
me always look on Christ, the Sun,
and
trust in him in all of life´s situations.”[5] Amen.
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