With Him in the Boat
Listening the Spirit
(Ps. 91:1-6. 11-16)
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
Listening the Word: Matthew 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a 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 about 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 on 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 Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Reflection
Jesus can make anything possible, but we human beings, with our own resources, we cannot always make things possible, we are limited. Jesus can command and things can be done easily, but this is not His purpose, Jesus is ready to collaborate with each one of us in order not to be seen as a magician.
In the gospel we see four important elements: we see the boat which represents the church; we see the disciples which represents each one of us; we see Jesus who represent He Himself; finally we see the heavy waves which can represent the problems each one of us may have. As we see at first the disciples were alone, Jesus was not with them, they were somehow afraid facing the waves, but when Jesus joined them the wind died down. Jesus could stop the wind by Himself, however, He only did it when He was with His disciples. He needs each one of us. We are God´s instruments here on earth, He is with us to support each one of us in our daily struggles. And so, let us not get tired to invite Jesus to come to stay with us. Having Jesus present in our life, we can easily face any problem. We, as instruments of God, are invited to continue collaborating with Jesus while taking care of His creation, taking care of one another, being side by side with one another. Jesus taught us to work together, not individually. Working together we are stronger. Thus, let us learn to work with one another as a community, inviting Jesus to accompany us, so that we can make anything possible.
Reflection Questions
- When I face the “heavy waves” of difficulties in my life, do I truly invite Jesus to be with me, or do I try to face everything alone with my own strength and resources?
- How am I collaborating with Jesus by working with others and caring for my community and creation? What can I do to become a better instrument of God’s love and support for those around me?
