Jesus walks on water

It is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time and our Sunday gospel today comes from Matt.14: 22-33 where Jesus walks on water. We have read this gospel many times, including the one where Jesus slept while their boat passed through a storm and his disciples woke him up, telling him they would soon perish.

“22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

“25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

“32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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Today’s gospel reading is a continuation of our Gospel reading last Sunday about the feeding of the five thousand.

So our gospel today begins with “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” So I guess Jesus continued grieving and praying for the loss of John the Baptist, which is why he told his disciples to go ahead of him to the other side of Lake Galilee.

By dawn Jesus went after his disciples battered by the bad weather in the lake. But he wasn’t on a boat, but was walking on the water. When the disciples saw him, they thought he was a ghost, and cried out as they were terrified. But Jesus told them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Sensing that it was the Lord, Peter said 28 “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And the Lord said to him, “Come”.

Peter immediately got down out from the boat and walked on the water and as he came toward Jesus, he became afraid and started to sink into the water he then, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out to save Peter from drowning and told him “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

What’s really the problem with Peter? They just came from the great miracle of feeding five thousand people so he knew that his master was the Son of God. Seeing Jesus walking on water should have been enough for him to know that God defies all laws of nature. Best of all, Jesus allowed him to also defy the laws of nature so he too could walk on water. But unfortunately for him he still had doubts!

In another issue, the Seal of the United States of America was originally called E Pluribus Unum, which is Latin, meaning “One from Many.” However the US Treasury Department has since supplanted this with “In God We Trust” which first appeared in a two-cent coin in 1864. These words are printed in the US dollar to say that America Trusts in God.

In today’s gospel we can see that Peter didn’t fully trust in the Lord and started sinking, which is why Jesus told him “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” If America is in trouble these days with so much rioting, looting and killing, it’s because America no longer trusts in God!