Click here for today’s Scripture readings.

Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2, 10-14

If we use our imagination, the story of Jesus walking on the water is a rich source of reflection. For the disciples, getting into a boat and crossing the Sea of Galilee was as ordinary as our getting into the car to run across town. They were fishermen and traveled the waters of the Sea of Galilee for a living. To reach the towns on the other shore by foot would take a long time.

But this trip stands out from all the others. Jesus does not join them in the boat but goes to pray alone. In Matthew’s gospel (unlike Luke) this is the one time Jesus goes to pray before his Passion.

A strong wind, a rough sea, the shock of seeing a ghost, and then perhaps no less a shock, to learn Jesus himself walks toward them, Peter’s request and near disaster, paying Jesus homage as the “Son of God” – all of these are threads of a story to nourish our meditation. The gospel ends with a stream of suffering people coming to Jesus to touch the fringe of his garment, and all who touched it were made well.

Matthew wants to nourish our prayer in two ways: by leading us into the Scriptures, and by showing us not only who Jesus is, but also how we might see ourselves.

In Isaiah, Chapters 41-46 eight times God says, “It is I…” and in Is. 41:13, “It is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’”. The Book of Job describes God in Ch. 9:8 as the one who “alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea.”

So we see that it is Jesus who does what God does, dispelling fear, walking upon the waters. And Matthew then leads us to the Psalms: 69:2,15 “Save me O God, for the waters threaten my life…rescue me from the mire, may I not sink!” Ps. 107:23-32 “They who sailed the sea in ships…they reeled and staggered like drunken men. They cried to the Lord in their distress…” Ps. 144:7 “Reach out your hand and rescue me from many waters”. Ps. 18:17 “He reached out from on high and grasped me; he drew me out of the deep waters.” And Chapter 2 of the Book of Jonah is a prayer of thanksgiving for being delivered from the sea.

As God dispels fear, walks upon the sea, stretches out his hand to save, so does Jesus. And in so doing Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God.

Matthew also leads us to reflect upon ourselves as we observe the disciples. Their faith is not perfect, their faith is not absent, their faith is just ‘little’! Our Lord asks Peter, who speaks for all of the disciples, “Why did you doubt?” Peter does in a visual way what John tells us we all must do, that is see Jesus as the Way, the one we would follow, the one leading us to intimacy with the Father. According to John, the disciples’ response to Jesus is, “We don’t know the way.”

Those in the boat make an act of homage, “Truly you are the Son of God.” And then after the disciples disembark, people come to Jesus begging to touch his cloak, and all were healed. Did the disciples see these strangers who reached out to Jesus as people of greater faith? Did they compare the experience of Jesus reaching out to save Peter, against the experience of reaching out to touch Jesus?

And so today we see who Jesus is, and who the disciples are. We are invited to draw refreshing water from the Scriptures that tell us about God and God’s saving work when we could be swallowed by the waters of death. And even though we might be people of little faith, Matthew tells us not to lose courage in our disasters. God’s hand stretches out to grasp ours. And how marvelous: many who come to Jesus, so poor they would only touch his cloak. What faith they must have! Maybe being a disciple means that we will see faith in others, be aware of our little faith, but continue wanting to grow in that faith.

Father Bill Murphy, C.P. is the pastor of St. Joseph Monastery  Passionist Parish in Baltimore, Maryland.

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