In today’s gospel, we hear the story how the apostles were terrified because the storms. Then, when they saw Jesus walking on the water, they cried out in fear. “It is a ghost!” At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Be strong, it is a consoling message. These are the words we like to hear when we are in trouble. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Indeed, Peter did the impossible, He started walking on the water as he was focusing on Jesus. But when he shifted his focus to the problems that surrounded him (troubled water and wind), he started sinking, then he cried out saying “Lord save me!” We are often like Peter, we all must face storms in our lives. There are many who are facing storms in their relationships, storms in their marriages, conflict in their work places, in their businesses, in their studies, in their plans and aspirations. It is important to note that storms are existential facts of life. When we choose to stay focused on Jesus and trust Him, He will come to our aid. He does care. When we focus on Jesus, we keep connection with Him, we understand what happen to us. We all notice that Jesus may not come when we want, or do what we want, but Jesus does care. He is powerful. He has the authority over everything even the storms. There are times when Jesus does not remove the problems of life, but He shows up and walks with us through them, that is where trust and faith come in. Our life is built on Jesus and Him alone, not Jesus and something else.
When we realize that all we need is Jesus, we will trust Him. It will not matter if the storms rage, or the lightning flashes, all that will matter to us is that we have Jesus. No doubts in His ability, no questions about if this is the right course for our life, no wondering if Christ can. However, like Peter, when we focus on our problems, on our storms, or concerns we get distracted and we lose connection with the source of power, Jesus. My brothers and sisters, illness, storms, suffering…. are part of our human being. Jesus did not promise us easy life, no one is free of storms. Remember what He says: whoever wants to come after me, should deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. So, no matter what the projects we have or the job we do, or the storms we face we should focus on the source of life. We should not forget that Jesus is the most important. He is always there. Do not forget the voice of Jesus saying, take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. No matter what the situation or projects, we should not forget why we are here, why we are Christians. No matter what storms we face, we must never allow the problems of this word to distract us to do God’s will.
This is the great message for today. Let us ask God to increase our faith.
