“Oh, what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in onto the crashing waves. To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is, and he's holding out his hand…” (Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns)
Today’s gospel reminds me of that song, Voice of Truth. Stepping out into the realm of the unknown takes courage and faith. This is true whether it is something we have prayed for and dreamed about, or a trial that we are being faced with. Wonderful things such as becoming a parent, starting your dream job, getting married, all require faith. While they are things we have longed for, they also take us to a place of uncertainty. And all the things we have dreamed about bring us trials as well as joy.
Peter was confident and able to walk on the water when he was focused on Jesus and walking toward him. But when he took his eyes off of Christ and became aware of the strong winds and the crashing waves, he became frightened and began to sink. Things weren’t calm when he began to walk toward Jesus on the water; the storm was still present, but he wasn’t even aware of it because his trust in Jesus provided him peace and confidence.
Stepping out of “the boat” through faith isn’t a one time event. We are continually being called by God to step out in faith. Every day offers us new opportunities to draw closer to Christ. Our trials provide us opportunities to exercise the virtues of humility and patience, and of resignation to the divine will. “When we are surrounded on all sides with tribulations, and know not what to do, we must turn to God, who alone can console us.” (St. Alphonsus Liguori) In our trials, God enriches our souls with the greatest graces. There is a closeness to God that we are able to sense during these times of tribulation that we often don’t notice during times of prosperity.
“Take away the contests of the martyrs, and you have taken away their crowns” (St. Ambrose)
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