The Holy 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: We all have storms that we have to balance within our everyday lives. Sometimes it’s hard to control your emotions therefore, you need some kind of release. That “release” for some people is going to a peaceful place, for others it’s eating, for some it’s crying. Be rest assured that God is there with you no matter what it is. We (us humans) just tend to move him to the side and dive deeper into our sorrows.
We’ve seen a lot of bravery in studying the Bible. Women and men who sensed storm clouds rumbling on the horizon and walked faithfully right into it. We have read that Joseph faced betrayal, Moses accepted prophecy, Joshua led conquests, Ruth chose loyalty, and David gathered stones. Yet, each of them conquered their obstacle. By faith, each of them is great examples as they strode into the whirlwind and walked toward assurance. Likely, none of them would have chosen such daunting roles and impossible battles without their faith on hand. But what they did choose was to move forward.
All this reminds me of a story of the difference between cattle and bison in a storm. This story is used as a leadership parable about how different animals (and people) deal with hard times.
When a prairie storm approaches, cattle run away from it, while bison face it head-on
cows try to outrun the storm by heading in the same direction the wind blows. Cows cannot run fast, the storm overtakes them and stays with them as they flee, stretching out their fear and suffering. So, I guess you can say that it’s a prolonged suffering.
Bison sense the weather change, turn to face the wind, and charge directly into the storm. By running straight through the oncoming weather, they pass through the worst of the storm much faster and reach the clear skies on the other side. They still suffer but for a shorter time.
Our Lesson is to face our problems head on. Trying to avoid hard tasks or tough conversations only makes the stress last longer. By doing this, it builds character and strength. Meeting our problems directly helps us get through them fast and makes us stronger and wiser.
This passage teaches us to look past life’s storms and keep our eyes fixed on Christ rather than our doubts. As I said before, we have to learn how to balance these storms with other things in life like family, church, work etc. Sometimes that isn’t that easy to do depending on the storm. So, we should seek the help that we know that is there … God.
Action of the Day: Here is our Storm: This weekend we laid to rest our DEACON5 brother, Deacon Ray Emnace. We ask the Lord that he may rest in peace and let the Perpetual light shine upon him. I Love You Bro. You will always be in my heart. My sisters and brothers, I ask that you pray for him and his beautiful daughters Arriana and Rosalina.
Audio Reflection:
