couple of years ago, we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, the sea on which Jesus walked in today’s gospel. Our tour guide told us a story about a certain tourist from the US who was told by the boatman that the fare for the ride was $50. “Fifty dollars?” exclaimed the tourist, “No wonder Jesus walked!” Sadly, the tourist couldn’t himself walk.
Today’s gospel is packed with teachings about who Jesus is and what He does for His followers. It teaches also about the Church in her journey through the uncertainties of the world, and the journey of every individual believer through the torrents and tempests of life in this vale of tears. But when we find ourselves caught in the realm of the improbable or of things beyond our human capabilities, it is then that the unction of faith is really tested.
We skipped the Gospel reading of last Sunday due to the feast of the Transfiguration that was celebrated in place of the liturgy of the 18th Sunday of the year. Today’s Gospel would naturally have flowed from last Sunday’s where Jesus multiplied loaves and fish to feed a multitude. By multiplying the loaves last Sunday and walking on the water today, Jesus shows that He is lord and master of the elements, all forces—natural and supernatural. But watch how the Gospel puts it: “After the miracle of the loaves, He made His disciples get into a boat and precede Him to the other side” (Mtt 14:22). It’s important to remember that they carried with them the twelves baskets full of fragments of the leftover loaves and fish, for they could not have collected them to throw away. We can only imagine that He’d asked them to go fish out the hungry and continue feeding them with the Word and Bread of Life. (It’s impossible not to see a Eucharistic element in this). Then He goes to the mountain to pray. He sends them [sends us] on our journey and retires to pray for them [for us].
The Boat in the Sea is one of the earliest symbols of the pilgrim Church. Tossed about and pounded from all sides by forces hostile to the kingdom, the Church eagerly awaits the arrival of her Lord to calm the waves, and restore peace. The Lord does the unthinkable: He comes in a form and manner in which He is mistaken for the enemy. Even well-meaning Christians cry out in fear: “It’s a ghost.” Don’t we see the Church’s solutions to the mountain of problems in the world easily mistaken, provoking outcry by the materialist. For example, when the Church proposes discipline, self-control and abstinence to the promiscuity that has infested society, she is tagged an enemy of women and AIDS victims. When she advocates that immigrants be treated well, she is condemned as promoting illegality. But if we listen carefully, we shall hear through the storms the soft, gentle whisper of the Lord amidst the wind saying, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” If we believe His word and invite Him on board, there’ll be calm. Would not the one who rode on the very waves that threatened to engulf His disciples not be able to bring us deliverance and solace in our trials?
As the Church, like Peter’s boat, sails through the stormy seas of our time, we must keep our gaze focused on Jesus and His Church to bring us peace. Peter’s request to walk on the water with Him is the ultimate act of faith that the Church makes to her Lord—to do the impossible or improbable and walk on these waves with Him. But we do need to keep our gaze centered on Him, for if He says to us “Come,” He’ll give us the power to arrive. Peter took the command and walked on water. If we center our gaze on Him, we shall walk on our problems. Notice that while Peter kept his eyes upon the Lord, upon His word and power, he walked on the water well enough; but as soon as he succumbed to fear and took his gaze off Him, focusing rather on the waves, he began to sink; for “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). May the Lord grant us increase in faith to fix our gaze constantly on Him!
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo