Jesus is there in the storms of life

JESUS IS THERE IN THE STORMS OF LIFE

Mt. 14:22-33

Today's Gospel is the sequel to last Sunday's reading, about the feeding of the five thousand.  The picnic was over.  Everyone had been fed.  Day was dying in the west.  It was time to go home, but Jesus wanted to spend some time alone.  So, at His insistence, the disciples got into their boat and headed home without Him.  They had not gone far when they encountered a storm.  A strong head wind turned the usually peaceful lake into a raging sea.  The angry waves threatened to capsize their boat and them with it.

Finally, about three in the morning, they saw a figure coming toward them, walking on the lake.  The disciples were, understandably, terrified.  It was bad enough to be caught in a howling storm.  To see someone or something, in the midst of that storm, walking on water was too much.  Thinking they were seeing a ghost they began to cry out in fear.  Then, a familiar voice said, "Do not be afraid.  It is I."

At this point, we see Simon Peter wanting to get in on the act and walk on the water.  Above the roar of the wind, he shouted, "Lord, if it is You, allow me to come to You across the water."  Jesus shouted back, "Come on."  Immediately, without any fear Peter, got out of the boat and took a few steps on the water.  The fury of the storm overwhelmed him.  His faith failed, fear took over, and he began to sink.  Then Peter prayed one of the shortest and most sincere prayers that any person can ever pray.  He simply cried out, "Lord, save me!"  Jesus did just that.  Lifting Peter up by the hand, He led him back to the boat.  They both got in.  The wind died down and they all went safely home.

What message is there for us?  Namely, that the storms of life befall all people, including the most devout followers of Christ.  Those early disciples found themselves in this particular peril, not in pursuit of some foolish enterprise of their own choosing, but in the line of duty.  They were following the instruction of their Lord.  It was at His insistence that they had got into that boat and started that journey.

When the Gospel of Matthew was written, there was a widespread belief that good fortune was a reward for righteous living, and misfortune was punishment for unrighteous living.  Despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary, that belief still persists to this day.  When tragedy comes, it is not uncommon for the victim to say or, at least, think, "What have I done to deserve this?  Why me, Lord?"

The early church was going through a time of severe persecution.  Some of them must have been saying and thinking that same thing.  This story is a dramatic reminder that real Christians, earnestly seeking to obey Christ, are not exempt from trouble.  They get caught in storms, just like everybody else.  They lose their jobs.  They experience financial failures.  They have problems in their marriages.  They get sick.  Their children get into trouble.  Their loved ones die, sometimes in premature and tragic ways.

If faith in God protected a person from the storms of life, it would not be faith.  It would be a business deal.  It would be a premium that people pay on an insurance policy, underwritten by God.  As long as we make the payments, He provides the protection.  There would be little or no faith in that kind of arrangement.  It would simply be a pious form of self-seeking.

The other conclusion this story says to me is that Christ is ever with us, and never more so than in times of trouble.  The disciples were in a desperate situation.  The wind was straight in their faces.  To make progress against it in a rowing boat was impossible.  To turn around and go back was also impossible.  Every sailor knows that on a stormy sea you never turn a small boat broadside to the waves.  The best they could do was try to hold the bow of the boat into the teeth of the storm, and hope it would stay afloat.

In the midst of that effort, Christ appeared.  They did not expect Him, but He came.  When the limit of human resources had been reached and passed, Christ was there to help them.  This story is telling us that in every storm Jesus is present.  This is still true today, but like those early disciples, we sometimes do not recognise Him.

We will not see Him walking on water, nothing so dramatic as that, but in ways that are real and meaningful, He is there when we need Him most.  He comes to us with the support of family and friends.  He comes to us in the loving counsel of a teacher.  He comes to us through the community of His church.  He comes to us on the pages of Holy Scripture.  He comes to us in the strength and beauty of the Sacraments.

Lord Jesus, the disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, but Peter took a step of faith, got closer, and saw that it was really You.  We think that when we are helped in a crisis, we are seeing ordinary people and everyday things, but if we look through the eyes of faith, we too will see You.

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