Learning the art of walking on water.

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Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-33

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds. 
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 
When it was evening he was there alone. 
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea. 
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. 
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 
He said, “Come.” 
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 
After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I experienced one of the most terrifying moments of my life while attending World Youth Day last Sunday in Lisbon.

As Pope Francis finished celebrating Mass, he gave us his final blessing. “Go forth,” he said. His words were meant in a figurative way to be a commissioning – “Go forth” and make disciples.

Return to your home, to your workplace, to your school and share this experience with others. Tell them about Jesus, about your experience of the universal Church – that it is filled with hope, tell them about the renewal of your faith. Invite others to, “Come and see.”

But for us, “Go forth” also meant, in a literal way, “Depart from this place. Return to your bus.” After sleeping outside under the stars the night before, and celebrating Mass that morning, it was time to pack up and head out.

Suddenly, I realized our group of 43 pilgrims had a harrowing journey ahead.

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It was already 96 degrees. The sun was rising. The day was only getting hotter. Our bus was six-miles away. We needed to move quickly. But 1.5 million other people were thinking the same thing. 

I remember the bottleneck at the bridge – our only exit. We were literally clinging to the backpack of the person in front of us as we passed by people fainting from panic and heat exhaustion. Fortunately, medics were there to care for them.

Two hours later – exhausted and grateful – we reached our bus.

That experience of being fearfully scrunched like sardines in a can made me think of the disciples in today’s Gospel.

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They’re terrified. As the Gospel says, they’re literally being “tortured” by the waves.

This is the first time they are without Jesus. And what happens? Disaster strikes! A storm forms around them that is so strong, these professional fishermen fear they are drowning. Meanwhile, the Lord is praying by himself safely on solid ground.

Jesus later approaches them by walking on the water, but the disciples mistake him for a ghost, making them even more fearful.

“Take courage, it is I,” he says, “Do not be afraid.”

Before calming the storm, Jesus invites Peter to overcome the fear that’s seized him by stepping out of the boat and onto the water.

Often, we fault Peter for sinking. But after all he’s endured, imagine the courage it took for him to do what no other human being had done before. 

The Gospel does not tell us how far Peter went; only that, “he began to walk on the water towards Jesus.” 

Suddenly, the power dynamics have shifted. Peter’s fear gives way to faith, allowing him to do the impossible.

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That is what Pope Francis asked of our young people – and by extension all of us – to shift the power dynamics; to replace our fear with faith; to dream big; in a sense, to walk on water.

Yes, when Peter took his eyes off of Christ and saw how strong the wind and waves were, he sank.

But for a moment he conquered his fear. I’m sure years later, he still revisited that night in prayer, reminding himself, as Saint Paul says, that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

It’s a matter of keeping our eyes fixed – not on the wind and waves – but on Jesus.

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Where in my own life do I need Peter’s courage? Where do I need to learn how to walk on water … or, in some cases, to walk on water again?

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While we may never find ourselves caught in storm at sea or scrunched in a bottleneck on a bridge, there are moments when we will all feel afraid – as if we’re stuck, pressured, unable to move.

But the Lord says to us the same thing he said to Peter, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Step out of the boat. Shift the power dynamics. Replace your fear with faith. Even if you lose your focus and begin to sink, the Lord will be there to raise you up again.

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Image credits: (1) The Meeting Tent (2) Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt (3) Meridian Magazine