22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
34 After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 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 36 and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed. (Matt 14:22-36)
UNDERSTAND MORE TO FEAR LESS
What are we afraid of? Many people have their own phobias—spiders, frogs, darkness, heights, enclosed spaces, insects, snakes, needles, ghosts, storms. There are indeed many ways to treat these phobias. Still, there are other kinds of fears. A lot of people have the fear of growing old. Many are afraid of dying. There are those who fear what the future will bring us. A good number of people are afraid of the unknown.
Madame Marie Curie, the famous scientist, once said “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” At the beginning of the COVID 19 crisis, everyone was afraid. Now that the virus has been studied and vaccines and medicines have been invented, we fear less.
In our Gospel, we read that the disciples were terrified. Were they afraid because they were being tossed by the waves? Were they not used to the movements of the sea? But they were terrified when they saw him because they thought they were seeing a ghost. This was the situation that they were not used to—a figure walking on the water. But the fear was quelled when Jesus assured them that it was he. Then, again, Peter was afraid when he saw the strong wind. But he was a fisherman who was used to these winds! But this was a new situation; he was walking on the water with Jesus. His fear led him to sink, but he was saved by Jesus. In both instances the disciples and Peter feared because they did not know and understand.
What is the root of fear? The root of fear is believing in the lie that God cannot be trusted. Can God indeed be trusted? Yes, God can be trusted. Look at your life. Understand. Then you will fear less.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. What are my phobias? How do I overcome them?
2. What is the greatest fear in my life? How to I try to understand it so that I may fear less?
Lord, make me understand the difficult moments of my life.
Comments