Gospel: Focus on Jesus

Today is the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time where the Gospel reading will be lifted from the account of St Matthew.

And at once he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he sent the crowds away.

After sending the crowds away he went up to the hills by himself to pray. When evening came he was there alone, while the boat, by now some furlongs from the land, was hard pressed by the rough waves, for there was a head-wind.

In the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the sea, and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said and cried out in fear.

But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, "Courage! It is me! Don't be afraid!" It was Peter who answered. "Lord," he said, "if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water."

Jesus said, "Come." Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but then noticing the wind, he took fright and began to sink. "Lord," he cried, "save me!"

Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. "You have so little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And as they got into the boat, the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

The Gospel narrates to us how Jesus moves away from the people to get rest and pray. When Jesus fed five thousand people in the multiplication of bread, the news broke out and people started following him around to be fed.

The reading tells us an instance in which he sent the people away, got to a boat to avoid them, and move to a hill in prayerful solitude. Then, after four days, he went back to the boat, where the apostles are, and walk across the water.

It further tells us how Peter wanted to share in this wonder and asked if he could walk on the water, too. And as he was doing this, he got scared of the strong winds, and he began to sink.

Jesus tells us that if we will just increase our faith more, despite the scary circumstances we are in, we can walk across the water and do miracles. Our focus should be on Jesus in order to share in God's glory. Because if we shift our focus away from him, we will sink in the water and drown.

Faith requires that we focus on God's revelation, and never doubt. Doubt is the enemy of faith. When we doubt the goodness of God because of our problems that he appears to be very far away, our faith diminishes. God is bigger than the conflict we are in. And as we are pushed into the whirlwind of life, instead of moving away, we should trust more in Jesus, and hope for his miraculous healing.

Lord, help us to increase our faith more. Please look at the amount of our faith and not on our sins. Amen.

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