|
Dear Friends, Today’s gospel story offers several points of reflection. Having fed the people, Jesus insists that the apostles go off in the boat while He dismisses the crowd. Finally Jesus gets some solitude and quiet. He goes away by Himself to the mountain to pray and we are told that He prayed into the night. In doing so, Jesus models for us the need to take time out from our busy schedules for prayer, listening and communion with our God. Peter heard the Lord’s call to join him in walking on the water and he began to do so until he was distracted by the stormy wind. We, too, have storms in our lives at one time or another. They can take many forms - illness, death of a loved one, unexpected painful events, broken relationships, struggles within us or with those we love. What do we do? How do we respond? When the disciples’ boat got tossed about by the waves, did they trust that the presence of Jesus would be enough to save them? Not really. They got scared, but once Jesus spoke the words of comfort, Peter responded in faith. Peter is a good model for anyone caught in life’s stormy waters. Initially his faith is weak, yet strong enough to recongize that Jesus is the only one who can save him from sinking beneath the waves of fear and anxiety. "Lord save me", he cried. Let that be our prayer this week. Sister Mary |
