Monday in the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time, August 1, 2022

Matthew 14, 22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, 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 him, 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.”   After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched

it were healed.

The events taking place in this Gospel Reading follow the Lord’s feeding of the five thousand people.  

“He went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”  When we think of people praying in ancient times, we should keep in mind that they were praying aloud.  A few instances, such as the case of the mother of Samuel, are found in which someone is praying in silence but moving their lips, but these are rare occurrences.  St. Augustine even remarked how extraordinary it was that St. Ambrose prayed in silence.  Praying in silence does not become customary until the growth of monasteries, where the cacophony of hundreds of monks making their private prayers or reading would have made praying or reading impossible.  We modern Americans, with our obsession with personal freedom and privacy, would find ourselves very much be out of place in any other era than ours.  We should, then, think of our Lord praying vocally, even when he was “alone”.

“Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.”  The Greek is a little stronger: the boat was “tormented” by the waves.  As difficult an experience as this might have been during the day, so much more so at night.  And all this after a big meal.  “During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.”  The “fourth watch” meant just before dawn, when the night was supposed to be its darkest.  The choice of verb by the Evangelist, which is translated here as “walking” is an unusual one and we will come back to it.  “When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.”  This could also have been translated, “they were agitated”, that is, upset.  The sea’s tumult reflected their feelings.  “It is a ghost!”  One day, in the not far distant future, these same men would look at death and rejoice, knowing that it would reunite them with Jesus.  Philippians 1, 21: “For me, life is Christ and death is gain.”  “Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.”  The wind must have died down a bit for Peter to have dismounted from the boat, and then picked up again.  This in itself was quite an act of faith.  It was very dark, the water was choppy, and the wind strong enough that the men had to shout to each other to be heard.  “But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened.”  Peter had taken his eyes off the Lord and became frightened by what else he saw.  It is not easy for us to keep our eyes on the Lord in the midst of life’s troubles.  He seems in the distance and quiet while our troubles are close and loud.  To do this we must pray long and often, gazing at the crucifix,   gazing at the Blessed Sacrament.  If an athlete or musician can practice for hours in order to perfect their craft, than we can do this too.  “Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.”  He had seemed far off, but he was closer than Peter could have hoped with only natural hope.  “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  He says this in order to explain to Peter that his failure was not due to the Lord’s lack of power but his own lacking in faith.  “Truly, you are the Son of God.”  The Apostles confess their faith in the Lord after having seen him walk on the water, and then both command Peter to come to him and then rescue him when he sinks.  It is a greater manifestation of power to rescue a person than to give him the means to do something and he does it.

Now, the word mentioned above that is translated as “walking” has the alternate meaning of “conducting one’s life”, as in, “going along one’s way of life”.  Taking this meaning, we can understand the above passage as the Son of God praying before his Incarnation; then his Incarnation, embarking on the water; then “conducting” his sinless life, obeying the will of his Father; the reaction of the world of nature to his Incarnation and the reaction of the human world to his manner of life; the attempt by some to imitate his way of life; the absolute need for perseverance to accomplish this; and the Lord’s getting into “the boat”, making it the Church by his presence with the Apostles.  Looking at this verb in this way helps us to understand the radical nature of what the Lord was doing on becoming man and saving us.  Nature itself was aghast that its Maker had come into it.  The Pharisees reacted with violence against this possibility, despite all the proof.