Sunday, August 7, 2011

Eddie Money and Today's Gospel

Well if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me
My love is so true
          - Walk on Water by Eddie Money


In today's Gospel (Mt 14:22-33) Jesus calls Peter to walk on the water to Him.  

We all know what happened.  Peter tried, become frightened, and called for Jesus to save him.

Like the song, Peter's love for our Lord is strong, and he is always looking to prove that to Him.

But unlike Mr. Money, Peter didn't have to walk on water to get Our Savior to believe in him.  He just had to trust Him completely.  

Ironically almost every homily I have ever heard on this Gospel focuses on Peter's fall.  His flailing and disbelief.  The fact that he needed Jesus to reach out and save him as usual.  

And while all this is true, and a great lesson in itself, I think it misses one of the most powerful parts of this story.

He actually walked on water for a few steps while he believed. 

I wonder how much more could we do if we fully turned everything over to the Lord and just trusted in Him?

God Bless you.

7 comments:

Victor S E Moubarak said...

I made the same comment on Father Paul Wharton's Blog earlier on.

If we were on that very boat would we actually step out into the water? Let's be really honest now, (including me), would we really step out in total Faith? Or would there be that 1% doubt lurking at the back of our mind?

Peter has had a bad press over the years; what with this incident, and refusing to have his feet washed, and contradicting Christ when Our Lord said "Get behind me Satan", and using his sword to strike a servant and also denying Our Lord three times. Yet ... despite all these incidents Our Lord forgave him and he became leader of the Church.

Some hope for us when we sin.

God bless.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Just e-mailed you. Hope you got it OK.

God bless.

Unknown said...

Michael,
I like this perspective. Yes, Peter deserves some credit for at least getting out of the boat. His faith allowed him to do that. I read another bit of commentary by a Cistercian abbot in Magnificat today who said that it was Peter's pride that caused him to sink. He was sinking not only in the water but also in his pride. This lead him to pray the prayer: Lord, save me. I often pray that prayer as well, many times needing Jesus to save me from myself.
Thanks for helping us take a different look at this familiar Gospel passage. We all know Peter's flaws; it's nice to see things from his good points as well.
God bless.

Anonymous said...

This is a great perspective Michael and gives us all a lot of food for thought. God bless you. I have always loved your blog.

none said...

This story makes me think of the line "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I'm thinking that when we try to do things our own way, we end up sinking, but with Jesus, all things are possible.

Daily Grace said...

You always make me take a different look. Thank you

Michael said...

Thank you all for visiting and for your comments!

God Bless!