“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
I knew a surgeon some years ago who made his pile and decided to give up his practice and retire. Surgery was changing so fast with its new techniques and he saw that he just wasn’t interested any more. But, he told me, after several months of so-called retirement, he realized he had not retired at all. He had gone on vacation and he was bored to death! It was time to start his retirement, so he went back to school, got a degree in theology, took some pastoral counseling courses, and signed on as a part-time, non-salaried chaplain in a regional hospital. The fellow who had been performing surgery now prayed with his former patients as they went into and came out of surgery.
“Life is too short” he told me,” to sit comfortably at home.” In today’s gospel we find Saint Peter sitting comfortably in the boat. A fisherman, he has dealt with high waves and strong winds all his life. And never once in his life has he gotten out of the boat to walk on water. In fact, it’s never occurred to him. But he saw Jesus walking on the water and he knew it’s something he must do. “Lord,” he shouted, “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water!”
Perhaps my doctor friend felt some of Peter’s fear as he listened to his former patients. The man who would cut them open at a moment’s notice now sat helplessly with them as they waited for surgery. Perhaps they wondered too! But it was a new adventure for him. He learned more about what it means to be a Christian as his former patients spoke of their anxieties. He discovered his patients had spouses and children and grandchildren who were eager to talk to him about their lives.
When you get to a secure, safe place in your life, three things can happen. One, you get worried. You’re afraid you’re going to lose what you have fought so hard to attain. You’re jealous, anxious and insecure. You still think other people have more than you do, and you absolutely ignore all the people who have less than you. They mean nothing to you and your spiritual life.
Or, two, you still want more. You cannot sacrifice what you have because you still don’t have enough. You may be a millionaire but you’re not a multi-millionaire. You may have a summer home and a winter home but you don’t have a west coast home and an east coast home.
Or, three, you can walk on water. You can take the hand of Jesus and let him lead you onto a new adventure.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.