ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY
We do indeed need
the Lord.
We
know we live in a world that is not perfect and there are the ups and downs of
life. After hearing today's Gospel message you might ask, "Does the Lord
seem distant when trials or adversity come our way?" It was Jesus'
initiative that the disciples sail across the lake, only to find themselves in
a life-threatening storm. Although they were experienced fishermen, they feared
for their lives. While Jesus was not with them in the boat, He nonetheless
watched over them in prayer. When He perceived their trouble He came to them on
the sea, startling them with His sudden appearance.
Do
we look for the Lord's presence when we encounter difficulties and challenges?
Or do we paint a picture as though we can count on everything always being OK,
with the sense that we can do it on our own and then tell others just what they
want to hear, like Hananiah did? So, if we do not need the truth, do we not
need the Lord? Jeremiah sure preached that we do indeed need the Lord.
This
dramatic incident on the Sea of Galilee reveales Peter's character. Here we see
Peter's impulsivity - his tendency to act without thinking of what he is doing.
He often fails and comes to grief as a result of his impulsiveness. In
contrast, Jesus always helps His disciples to see how difficult it is to follow
Him before they set out on the way He taught them. A great deal of failure in
the Christian life is due to acting on impulse and emotional fervor without
counting the cost.
Peter,
fortunately, in the moment of his failure, clings to Jesus and holds on firmly.
Every time Peter falls, he rises again. His failures only make his love for Our
Lord more deeply, causing him to trust Him more intently. The Lord keeps watch
over us at all times, and especially in our moments of temptation and
difficulty. We need to always rely on God's strength to help us. Jesus also
assured us that we have no need of fear if we trust in Him and in His great
love for us.
When
the trials of life threaten or overwhelm us, how do we respond? Jesus wants to
give us not necessarily what we may want at the time we want it, but what we
really need at the exact moment in which we need it. Ultimately, His gift of
the Eucharist is a precious gift which we really need the most!