Troubled Waters

Consider the Gospel according to Matthew. As Peter tried to walk on water toward our Lord, he became frightened of the strong winds and cried out to Jesus when he began to sink. Jesus rescued Peter and said: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” [Matthew 14:31].

No doubt each of us will face troubled waters, if we have not faced them already—oftentimes testing our faith. So what do we do? Do we persist in drawing closer to our Lord? Do doubts and fear overwhelm us? Do we wait until we can barely keep our head above water before we reach out to Jesus for help?

Whether our lives are calm or as rough as stormy seas, we should always reach out to Jesus. Perhaps every day we should repeat the words of Peter, “Lord, save me!” [Matthew 14:30]. God destined us to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for us, according to St. Paul, “so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him” [1 Thessalonians 5:10]. Through Him, with Him and in Him, we have God the Father and the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have the strength of the Holy Trinity to do more than just keep our head above water.

Divine Nature

I admit that the troubled waters I have faced in my lifetime have been few and far between. Of course, I met them head-on—kicking and screaming. I did not always reach out to our Lord for a helping hand. I generally shook my fist.

Now, when I look back on my life, I could kick myself for not spending more time with Jesus, getting to know and trust Him. Through Christ, God reveals His plan of loving goodness. “His will was that [people] should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature” [CCC 51].

Oh, to share in the divine nature! Then everything we do, all that we experience, and how we respond can be offered up to God. Doing so is not just for our salvation, but also for the salvation of our world! Surely, doesn’t that make life worth living, even when we face troubled waters?

Hold On!

Then again, Peter loved Jesus. Yet, he still had his doubts—and fears. Thankfully, for his sake and ours, Peter reached out to our Lord before he was completely overcome. We learn from Peter to hold on tight to our Lord. Jesus offers us help every day in this life for the sake of our eternal life.

Since we are in this world only for a short while, let us not lose precious time to trepidations. Let us use our time to draw closer to our Lord in whatever circumstances we may face, particularly in turbulent times. Remember, the choices we make determine our eternal destination.

Therefore, during this Easter Season, let us pray that we never lose sight of our Lord in our daily living and daily challenges. The closer we are to our Lord, the easier it is to hold onto Him with our faith, our hope, and our love. Our lives and our world will be better for it. Amen!