Monday of the 18th Week in
Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint John Vianney
August 4, 2014 6:30AM
I came across what I find to be
an interesting insight about today’s gospel.
It is a different way of looking
at something that happens here.
As we heard, Jesus rebukes Peter
for his lack of faith.
One Scriptural commentator says
that Jesus’ rebuke may not be directed at Peter because he fails to walk on the
water.
Instead, Jesus rebukes Peter
because he abandons the boat.
Peter thinks that he cannot find
Jesus on the boat as it is being tossed about and so he gets out of the boat.
Jesus rebukes him for his weak
faith because he wants Peter and wants us to find him and his closeness right
where we are, right in the boat as we deal with the stormy waters.
We do not have to jump ship and
leave or run away from whatever it is that is upsetting.
Jesus is there or is here for us
right in the storms of life, as difficult it may be to see and feel this.
So, whatever it is – a family
division, a doctor’s report, the death of a loved one – there will be these
storms, and Jesus wants us to look for God right there.
Also, three of the four gospels
record this episode on the stormy sea, and in all three of them, this is
preceded by the story of the feeding of the 5000.
We heard that at Mass this
weekend.
Perhaps there is a deliberate
linkage here between Jesus’ feeding the people and coming to their rescue.
The Eucharist is where we are
fed.
It is where we experience the
fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, “I am with
you always.”
If we regularly come to the
Eucharist, then we may still feel afraid, but our fears will be calmed.
We will be able to deal with the
storms of life without jumping ship, because Jesus will be close to us and we
will experience him close to us.
