Walking on water
After a busy day, attending the crowd, healing the sick, comforting the troubled and feeding them, Jesus goes on to pray. While he dismisses the people, the apostles sail to the other side of the lake. None of his apostles accompany him. They wanted to get away from the crowd. They were very tired, and they knew Jesus was going to pray for the whole night. Jesus wanted to spend time alone with his Father God. We too; after a busy day, we need to pray to recover our serenity. Even though we are tired, we need to find the time to pray. The busier we are, the more we need to pray. In one of John Paul II trips to the Philippines, after a very busy day, the nuns went to the chapel at midnight to prepare the Mass for the following day, and they found the Pope praying, prostrated on the floor.
From the top of the mountain Jesus sees the boat battling against the wind and the waves. He could see them well. It was full moon, close to the Pasch. These storms are normal on the lake, dangerous for fishing boats. The Fathers of the Church see in this boat an image of the Church, which is always battling against temptations, persecutions, heresies and infidelities. We often complain about the problems in the Church, but there have been always crisis, many times worse than the one we are going through now; and the Church always comes back alive. Jesus is always watching us from the mountain. He let the apostles struggle for a while. He does the same with us. It is good for us to go through difficulties and obstacles, for us to become stronger. It looks like he doesn’t care about us, but he is always watching over us.
At the fourth watch, at three in the morning, Jesus came walking on the water of the lake. He is ready to help us whenever we need it. One author says that after praying, Jesus was so inflamed with love, that he didn’t realise he was walking on water. On the other hand I think he wanted to play a trick on them. It made a deep impression on them; all four evangelists mention this event. He looked like a ghost. The white tunic, illuminated by the moon, contrasted with the black background of the water. It must have been very scary. They all cried out; these big men were as afraid as little girls. He had to calm them: “It is I, don’t be afraid.” He always reminds us of this reality, whenever we are afraid: I am always with you. We cannot hide from God. We cannot find a place where God is not.
Peter asked Jesus to walk on water: “If it is you.” He was still afraid, not trusting. “Come.” Peter jumped into the water. What did he feel on his feet? Was the surface soft? When he stopped looking at Jesus and realised he was walking on water, he began to sink. When we look at the wind, at the waves, the currents, the problems, the difficulties, we become pessimistic first and then we begin to sink, like Peter. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, specially when we are walking on eggshells. This is what it takes to become a contemplative soul: to keep our eyes on the Lord. Where do I fix my eyes? What am I looking for?
Peter cried out: “Lord, save me!” Jesus pulled him out, coming towards him and grasping him with his own hand. He could have commanded him to come out or jump. But he is always ready to pull us out of whatever muddy waters we find ourselves in. He complained: “Oh man of little faith why did you doubt?” How many times Jesus is telling us the same thing: I am with you always. Why don’t you trust me? I can do everything for you.
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