“At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27)

In today’s gospel from Matthew, we have the story of Jesus walking on the water. The disciples are in a small boat at sea in the middle of a storm. They are anxious and afraid. Jesus appears to them walking on the water. Jesus calls Peter to come to him.  When Peter steps out of the boat, he realizes how strong the winds are, losing his focus on Christ, and becomes frightened and begins to sink. Immediately, Jesus is there and stretches out his hand and catches him.  

How many times have we lost our focus on Christ and become frightened and anxious? It’s easy to do with all the distractions around us. The fear of the pandemic, the fear of the state of the economy, the fear of the civil unrest in our nation all contribute to distracting us and making us feel anxious.  These cause us to lose hope and trust in our Lord. They cause us to slip in our prayer life, to slip in attending mass in person or online, to slip in our ability to perform works of mercy and charity. We must remember that Jesus promised that He would never leave us. He is there reaching out to us in this storm to catch us in our time of need. We must keep the faith and rely on our Lord to accompany us through these stormy times.  

 

Deacon Joe Trevino

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

St. Clare of Assisi

Houston, TX