Jesus walks on water

It is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time and our gospel reading today is once more a manifestation of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ which happened right after the Miracle of the Loaves where the Lord Jesus Christ fed more than five thousand people, not counting women and children in one of his greatest miracles witnessed by thousands of people. It was a foretaste of the Holy Eucharist, which the Lord instituted during the Last Supper, which millions of Catholics today partake of during the Mass. Today's gospel comes from Matt.14: 22-33

"22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

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As I mentioned earlier today's gospel reading comes right after more than five thousand people were fed with a few loaves of bread and five fish, which is known as one of the greatest miracles of our Lord in the sense that so many people witnessed this event; being fed with food that these people knew that our Lord Jesus and his disciples never brought with them to that remote and deserted place.

This is why today's gospel reading begins with the Lord Jesus commanding his disciples to take the boat and cross to the other side of Lake Galilee while he stayed behind to pray by his lonesome. It was one way of making the crowd that he had earlier dismissed believe that he was on the boat with his disciples. Since they were only using a sailboat, it was already nearly dawn and the boat was buffeted by waves and a strong wind when our Lord Jesus went to them walking on the sea.

The disciples then noticed the Lord walking on the sea, and they thought that he was a ghost as they cried out in fear! But the Lord said to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Peter then replied to the Lord "Lord, if it's you, "tell me to come to you on the water." Clearly, Peter like the rest of his disciples were unbelieving if it was the Lord. After all, no human being walks on water! Jesus then commanded Peter, "Come!"

Peter then got out and he too walked on the water. But as the wind grew stronger and the waves splashed with the wind, Peter got scared and he started to sink. Then he shouted to the Lord, "Lord, save me!" Then the Lord Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter as he sank into the sea. Then he admonished Peter saying, "O' You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Then they all climbed aboard and suddenly the wind and the waves died down and all his disciples worshipped Jesus saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Before this event, I'm sure that none of the disciples of the Lord ever knew or met a man who could walk on water. Peter, too, walked on the water, but his lack of faith made him sink. Our lesson today is to have a strong faith so you will not sink in this world!

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