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 22:30-31
Twenty years ago, my life came crashing down and I had to rebuild it almost overnight. A friend told me that, “It’s like you’ve been hit by a Mack truck.” Exactly. But I had faith that God would help me through the ordeal. And he did. He gave me the strength I needed and (I’m convinced) sent me the right people at the right time to assist with rebuilding. I emerged with a stronger faith into a personal reality that was better than the old.
I thought of this episode when I read today’s gospel from Matthew about Jesus and Peter walking on water. I was struck by something I’d never paid much attention to -- the powerful image of Jesus reaching out his hand to rescue Peter from the storm when his faith wavered.
If we just reach for that hand, Jesus will do the same for us when we need it most.
I’m no Pollyanna. When we are caught in a tragedy or crisis, we tend to ask God for a specific outcome like a cure for a terrible illness. And we may not get it. But our prayers might be answered in other ways such as getting the strength to cope with something we didn’t think we could or being given the grace to travel down a new road in life or to turn a tragedy into something good for others.
One way or another, we must trust that Jesus will reach out his hand to catch us. We need to believe that as the hymn, “Be Not Afraid” says, God will bless us when we “weep and mourn” but that “one day they (we) will laugh.”
It’s also important to remember that just as Jesus reaches out his hand to rescue us, we must do the same for those in need.
Today the scope of those suffering from war, ethnic violence, natural catastrophes and smaller, more personal horrors is so overwhelming that it’s tempting to just turn away because we can’t do anything to change what’s happening. But Jesus demands more of us. He tells us what we CAN do -- feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger etc. Simply doing nothing is not acceptable even if we can’t stop wars or the killing of the innocent. At a minimum, we can pray for the masses of victims and those aiding them while locally we can obey the commands of Jesus about caring for those in need.
That’s what living today’s gospel is all about – becoming the outreached hands of Jesus to comfort and strengthen those in need just as he reaches out his hand to save us when we are in need. Blessings to so many of you who are doing this.
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
