One of the most immediate things we can see in the Gospel story today is how impulsive St. Peter was. In contrast, Jesus was someone who was deliberate and thoughtful. After a whole day of ministering to the people who came to him, Jesus sent the crowds away, and then went to pray. After that prayer, he decided to walk to the boat that was carrying his disciples. He sensed their terror and reassured them saying, “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.” On the other hand, Peter did not think. Remember, he was one of the terrified disciples in the boat. He heard the voice of Jesus but he was not sure. Then he decides to test to see if it was Jesus. He tells Jesus to make him walk on water. As soon as he moves his attention from Jesus to the wind, he begins to sink. Jesus tells him that he had little faith. Was what Jesus said true?
Peter was reckless. He just threw himself into the situation. That had nothing to do with faith. We need to use our heads and heart to be faithful. Peter, in this story, did not. He did not think through his request to Jesus and he did not trust enough in Jesus. Many of us equate faith with just trust. That is why we end up hurt and disappointed. Peter trusted that Jesus had the power to get him to walk on water. However, Peter did not use his head to think if he was able to let go and leave everything to Jesus. It was not that Peter had not enough trust, but that Peter did not think through to what he needed to do when he got out onto the water. As long as he had his heart and eyes on Jesus, he was fine. When he looked away from Jesus, he began to sink.
Many of us request of God many things, and we claim we have faith in God. Yet, like Peter, we do not think through what we are asking. Can we handle the consequences of our request? Can we endure the conditions that we must go through? Like Peter, we just say to ourselves: Trust God and he will make things better. When God starts to work, we get upset because we want God to do it our way, not God’s way. In order for Peter to walk on the water to Jesus, he had to go through the wind and the waves. In order for God to give us the best results for our requests, we need also to go through ups and downs. Are we prepared for it?
For example, a student asks God to help him do well for his exams. God can help him, but he has to go through his lessons diligently,. He has to work hard and focus. That is the journey he has to go through to reach what God wants to give him. If he expects God to give him straight A’s without him picking up his books to read, he would be in for a rude shock like Peter.
Let us learn from the Gospel story today. Let us use our heads and hearts in faith. When we ask for the grace of faith, we are asking for the gift of being prepared for the journey that God will bring us on.
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