"Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, 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 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 in 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?"" (Matthew 14:22-31)
Yesterday the Church celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints. On this day we remember and celebrate the holy men and women who have gone before us and who have attained their final reward in heaven. The saints are to us examples of lively faith and courage. St. Peter is one of my favorites. He is so easy to relate to - so full of enthusiasm and gumption, but not yet perfected in faith as he blunders through discovering who Jesus really is. As we live the life of faith, sometimes we may feel as if we too are just blundering through, and we may become overcome with fear at the rushing seas and tremendous mountains that seem to lie in the way. But Jesus reminds us, as He reminded St. Peter, that we need not be afraid.
As St. Peter shows us, faith requires that we get out of the boat. If we want to walk on water, we have to take a step. And then another and another. In this Year of Faith, are we willing to step out in faith? Jesus says to Peter, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Do not be afraid is the most frequently repeated phrase in the gospels. Why? Because faith takes courage. "Faith, to be mature, must be tempered with courage, also known as fortitude. Courage only is manifested in the face of danger. If there is no danger, no threat, no trial, then there is no possibility of courage. Mature faith means believing more in what you can't see than in the terrifying things you can see. It means keeping the eyes of your heart fixed on the master of the wind and waves even as you feel the spray in your face" ("Walking on the Water" by Marcellino D'Ambrosio from Our Sunday Visitor).
Another time in His ministry, Jesus tells Peter to "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4). Pope John Paul II often quoted this when speaking of evangelization, and it challenges both our satisfaction with, and acceptance of, mediocrity in out lives. On their October 2012 issue, Timothy Cardinal Dolan told St. Anthony Messenger:
"'Cast out to the deep' is a sequel to his [the Pope's] call, 'Be not afraid,' because we're scared to cast out to the deep. We would rather stay in the shallow water. We would rather tread water than swim laps. John Paul II reminded us that Jesus said, 'Uh-uh. I'm not asking you to stay in the shallow water. I'm not asking you to lie on a rubber raft and float around. I want you to cast out to the deep and be not afraid.'
Fear is one of the major opponents to the New Evangelization. We have instances in the world where people are literally butchered on their way to church. Those people are great evangelists because the blood of the martyrs is the seed of faith. But for us, I think there's more of a cultural fear, that we will be thought to be nerds or bigots. We will be thought to be hopelessly oppressive, medieval, superstitious if we are religious at all, because faith has been caricatured as something medieval, superstitious, anti-enlightenment, opposed to science, and really at odds with everything that's enlightened and progressive in the world. And religion is pretty much still locking people in dungeons.
So therefore, in swimming out, we have to say no, the very 'be not afraid' of being branded all of that. There's nothing more enlightening, more noble, more affirming of everything that's decent, virtuous, honorable, beautiful, and true in the human project than faith."
As true followers of Christ, we must strivec to be recognized by the indelible mark of our Baptism, rather than by the temporary brandings of society and culture. In this is true freedom and joy, the freedom of being confident in who we are meant to be and who we are before the Lord. Let us ask St. Peter to pray for us, that we may have the courage to take our first step in faith, or to simply continue walking. Pope John Paul II opened his pontificate with the words, "Brother and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power... Open wide the doors for Christ" (Homily of His Holiness Pope John Paul II for the Inauguration of His Pontificate, 5). How do these words echo for you today? Are you ready to take a step?
Written by Kristen
