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Theo Tigno•
8/5/2003 6:30 am
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Tuesday, August 5th 2003 |
Matthew 14: 22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the unemployed, that God, in His great love and mercy, grant them employment through His great abundance.
Why did Jesus allow Peter to walk on the water? It was allowed for one reason: that you may come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
When God calls us, we must always be mindful that it is not for our own glory that He calls each of us to greatness; it is for His glory that we are called to greatness. In other words, greatness does not point to what is weak and frail; greatness points to The One they call "I Am Who Am." We are all called to dedicate our lives to the true service of Our Lord as JOYFUL servants of The One who created us, redeemed us and guides us. This is true greatness. This is when we walk on water.
Peter, in his great humanness, had something overcome him while walking on water: fear. He began to think about how limited he was. He began to realize that he shouldn't be walking on water. He began to doubt God's love for him and lost trust in Our Lord and Our God. We must always be mindful of God's great love and mercy for each of us in our lives. We must never allow Satan to have a foothold in our hearts so that we doubt the love and mercy of Our Lord. We must stand firm, "You of little faith," in knowing that God will not allow us to fall or fail. Even in our times when it looks like we are falling and failing, we must always remember that there is a greater glory we are striving for than our own needs: the glory of Our Lord. We must always strive for this greater glory amidst our weaknesses, our trials and our shortcomings. It is in this way, brothers and sisters, that we will continue to grow in love to Our Lord. To love the Lord is to be obedient to the Lord. I pray this for you today. Take care and God Bless.
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