Faith Means Keeping Our Eyes Fixed on Jesus
By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 8/15/02)
The scene in this morning’s Gospel has an amazing similarity to daily living! We see the disciples of Jesus struggling in a storm, while Jesus seemed far away. Often we experience similar feelings: we are weighed down, tossed about, struggling, and the Lord seems so distant! Then, Jesus came to them, but the disciples did not recognize Him. "It’s a ghost!" How often we too do not recognize Him, because we expect Him to come in bold and dramatic ways. But, like Elijah the prophet in our first reading, we must learn that the Lord comes to us, not in a strong wind, not in a terrible earthquake, not in scorching fire, but in a tiny whispering sound — in the ordinary, routine events of daily life.
We miss Him, because we are not yet attuned to His presence in the ordinary, the simple, the commonplace. We must become more sensitive, more aware of His presence, as He comes to us in these unexceptional ways. For example, the Lord often comes to us in a word or a phrase as we reflect on the Scriptures in prayer, in a telephone call or letter that we receive, in a chance or planned meeting with another person. He often uses the events of everyday life to speak to us, to reach out to us and to give us encouragement.
When Jesus came to His disciples, He told them: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." He says the very same thing to us — Be not afraid! He says that, not because there are no problems or difficulties in our lives or in the world, but because He is with us as we pass through these things, struggle with them and wage war with them. "I am with you always" (cf. Mt 28:20). This is the Lord’s promise to each one of us, and it is the reason that we are not to fear! The clearest sign that His promise is being fulfilled is the Eucharist: the real presence of Jesus Christ — the Crucified yet Risen One.
The disciples were not sure if it was truly Jesus walking on the water and not some ghost, so their leader Peter spoke out: "‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’" Peter climbed out of the boat and began to walk on the water. It was not until he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the circumstances around him — gusty winds and crashing waves — that he started to sink. Jesus caught him and said to him: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Like Peter, we too often take our eyes off Jesus and think that we can solve things by ourselves. We have some faith, but it is too little and too weak! We need to reach out, even in darkness, even in the absence of feeling, and say: "Lord, help my lack of faith, deepen the awareness of Your presence in me and, above all, let me believe that You are always with me, even when I feel nothing but emptiness and loneliness."
Yes, the key to growing in faith is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. In our daily prayer, in our celebration of the sacraments, in our struggles with problems and difficulties, especially in those times when Jesus seems absent or far away, our focus must be on Him. That is precisely the advice which the author of the Letter to the Hebrews gave to his contemporaries who were facing terrible troubles. "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who inspires and perfects our faith" (Heb 12:2). It is precisely the advice we must hear and accept today. Faith means keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus!
Yes, the Gospel scene mirrors our daily living. Like the disciples on the lake, may we learn, slowly perhaps and somewhat unevenly, what they discovered: Jesus is present even when He seems far away. With them, may we proclaim: "Truly, you are the Son of God!" And, add: "And because You are the Son of God, we will keep our eyes fixed on You every day!"
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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