Mt. 14:22-33
“God reveals himself through surprises.” (Pope Francis) As we glance through the Bible, we see God revealing himself to his chosen ones. In the book of Genesis, we see how God reveals himself to Adam and Eve. Then we see God calling Abraham with the sole motive of revealing Himself. As we continue our journey through the Old Testament, we see a number of figures such as Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc. They all had a God encounter, and we come to know the Lord through their God experiences. When we glance through the New Testament journey, we see Mother Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Simeon, John the Baptist, apostles, disciples of the first century, etc. The speciality is that in the New Testament, the Lord revealed himself in the person of Jesus; whereas in the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through some natural phenomenon.
In the first reading, we see God’s encounter with the prophet Elijah at Mount Horeb. The Lord revealed himself to Elijah. At first, there was a wind, but the Lord was not there. Following the wind, there was an earthquake, and then there was fire. Finally, there was a low whisper, and Elijah heard the Lord. He wrapped his face in his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. The gospel passage presents to us the Christ encounter of the disciples. Once the people were satisfied with the bread that he multiplied, Jesus sent his disciples to the other side of the lake while he spent time in prayer. The disciples experience a terrible storm in the absence of Jesus and are about to sink. At that juncture, Jesus walks on the water and approaches them. But they could not believe that it was Jesus because it was the middle of the night. It was quite natural that the disciples thought it was a spirit; otherwise, who can walk on the water, especially over the stormy sea? “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” We need to keep in mind that Jesus was not merely revealing his earthly identity. In the book of Exodus, we read that at the burning bush, the Lord revealed himself to Moses, telling him, “I am who I am.” Jesus is the Lord of the entire creation, and everything is under his control. At that juncture, Peter expresses his personal desire to experience Jesus: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” The Lord allows, and Peter walks on the water. Anyhow, Peter chooses his focus from the Lord, and as a result, he sinks in the sea. The Lord graciously hears his cry: “Lord, save me.” Jesus tells Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When Jesus entered the boat, the storm calmed, and all confessed that Jesus was the son of God…
All God’s encounters demand a response from one who has had the experience. A complete surrender of his intelligence, free will before the mystery and plan of the Lord. We see that the Lord asked Peter for the same. Peter was an experienced fisherman. He knows the danger of the troubled sea; and how powerful the stormy sea could be. For a while, he forgets the Lord who enabled him to walk on water. He relied on his potential, and attempted to walk on the stormy sea by himself. When he was sinking, Jesus reminded him not to doubt the one who called him to walk on the water but to surrender himself and believe. The Lord’s revelation did not end with Peter; even today, the Lord reveals himself to his chosen people. Through the centuries, we have seen a number of holy men and women who had this privilege. As we reflect on this gospel passage today, let us earnestly desire and ask the Lord to reveal himself to us and help us grow deeper in our faith.