Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the early days of sailing, a young boy went to sea hoping to become a sailor. One stormy day, he was told to climb to the top of the mast. The first half of the climb was easy because he kept his eyes fixed on the sky above him. But halfway up, he made a mistake. He looked down. Seeing the rough sea far below, he became dizzy. Fear gripped him, and he froze, afraid that he would fall. An experienced sailor called up to him, "Look back to the sky, young man! Look back to the sky!" The boy followed the advice, lifted his eyes once again, regained his confidence and safely finished the climb. The young sailor made the same mistake Peter makes in today's Gospel. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. But the moment he focused on the wind and the waves, fear replaced faith. He took his eyes off Christ and began to sink. The same thing happens to us. We begin our lives wanting to follow Jesus, but life's storms distract us. Worries, disappointments, work, family responsibilities, illness, or financial struggles can draw our attention away from Him. When we focus more on the storm than on the Savior, we begin to lose our balance. Many years ago, I met a man at St. Christopher's Inn, our drug and alcohol rehabilitation center here at Graymoor. His parents had never been a real part of his life, and the lack of guidance left deep wounds that eventually led him into addiction. A few weeks after arriving at the Inn, he began attending weekday Mass. After hearing this Gospel story, he said to me, "Father, it's amazing that Peter wanted so badly to get to Jesus that he was willing to walk on water." Then he quietly added, "I think I have my own boat to get out of." For him, that boat was drugs and alcohol. He realized he had to leave behind what was keeping him from Christ. Most of us may not struggle with addiction, but we all have our own boats. It may be work, success, comfort, pride, fear, or anything else that keeps us from placing Christ first. Sometimes we are simply afraid to step out in faith because what is familiar to us feels safer than trusting Jesus. The beautiful message of today's Gospel is that when Peter began to sink, Jesus immediately reached out His hand. My friends, there will always be storms in life. But if we keep our eyes on Christ, we will never face them alone. Even when our faith falters, His hand is always there to lift us up. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we too will discover what Peter did – that Christ is stronger than every storm. And with renewed faith, we will be able to say with Peter, "Lord, truly you are the Son of God." Yours in Christ, Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. Spiritual Director