Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 13, 2023
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
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 Peter,
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.”
As one of Jesus’ most famous miracles, this passage may be a familiar reminder of God’s calming presence, inviting our trust as we face the storms in life. Yet this passage is so much more than just an inspirational trust fall.
It’s a reminder that when in life’s course, we are at the end of all we have to give—when the illusory control we’ve pretended to have over our lives is suddenly revealed for what it is—we can still call for help. As often as it might feel like it, our God is not playing hide-and-seek with us. The moment we cry out, “Save me!” Jesus’ hand is already gripping ours, pulling us up.
This passage strikes me in a new way reading it today. There are moments in life when you bump up against the end of yourself. Maybe, like me, you are coming to grips with losing a relationship in your life. Death has a curious way of reminding us how little we really determine the shape and trajectory of the paths we’ve chosen for ourselves.
Something perhaps you’ve trusted would, in time, die down is still raging around you, and you feel powerless before it. In those moments, we have stepped out of the confines of those vessels that carry us about our chosen duties. We have left that boat behind, free of our illusion of safety and control. And then we see differently. We see and feel the reality that we are indeed powerless on our own.
And only then can we really cry out, “Save me!” knowing that the one who saves us will restore us to our true safety: Christ’s side.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are merciful, compassionate, and fully understand our human weakness. You know our fears, the things that hold us back from trusting you and from becoming fully ourselves. But you won’t let us use those things as an excuse. You always challenge us to grow, and with the challenge comes the grace to meet it. Thank you for caring so much about us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Hippolytus was one of the most important writers and thinkers in the Church before the fourth century. He was a learned priest in Rome and renowned for his eloquence. He became overzealous, however, and spoke out against several popes for being too lax with people who strayed from the faith, or for not denouncing a certain heresy forcefully enough. He thought the faithful should be an undefiled body of people, and was elected as a rival pope.
Pope Pontian (pictured here) was elected in 230, and was able to reconcile with Hippolytus and restore union to the Church. Shortly afterwards, the Roman emperor began persecuting Christians, and both Pontian and Hippolytus were exiled to Sardinia, which was known for its harsh conditions. Before his arrest, Pontian stepped down from his role as pope so that the Christian community could select another leader in his absence.
Both men labored in mines and died there due to exhaustion. The bodies of both men were retrieved and returned to Rome for burial and veneration as martyrs for the faith. Relics of both saints rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and the image of St. Pontian is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
Saints Pontian and Hippolytus, you were bitter rivals who reconciled before your exile and death—pray for us!