The Gospel according to Matthew (14:22-36)
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
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 him,
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.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel immediately follows yesterday’s telling of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus has just demonstrated amazing power by multiplying the five loaves and two fish to provide an abundant meal for so many. You would think that the Apostles would have that firmly in mind and would know that they were truly in the presence of the Son of God. Not so! Literally just hours later, they are being tossed by the sea and are terrified and seemingly have totally forgotten what they experienced.
I know.. we look at this story and say, nodding to ourselves, “now, if *I* were in that boat, *I* wouldn’t have doubted!” Right? Oh, would that such a thing were true! I’ve experienced the same thing myself on countless occasions – I come from a time where I feel so full of the Holy Spirit’s presence, I can’t imagine having any doubt or doing anything to displease God. And what happens? Something that my wife or son say to me just rubs me the wrong way and I become irritable, or worse, I lash out with unkind words. Afterward, I am left with my own sorrow at my own actions, wondering where I went so wrong so fast! Does that sound familiar to any of you?
My brothers and sisters, we are all fallible human beings. At our best, we demonstrate love and care and forgiveness, but at our worst, we have none of those qualities in our hearts. It is then that we need to be like the people in today’s Gospel and beg that we might touch the tassel of the Lord’s cloak, that we may be healed. We do that today through the Sacraments, and especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation. May we always be open to that grace and know that the answer is always YES when we are truly sorry for what we have done!
Action for the Day:
I think I’ve suggested this action before.. if you are feeling that you’re drifting away from our loving Lord, go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation! God is waiting there for you, with that “big hug of forgiveness”, ready to take you back and to show that He will never abandon you!
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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