St. Joseph of the Lakes

Last week we heard how Jesus fed five thousand men not counting the women or children, with five loaves and two fish. All ate until they were satisfied and the disciples collected twelve baskets of leftovers. Today the great deeds continue as Jesus walks on water to join the disciples who are being tossed about by rough waters. They are terrified as they see him walk on the water. Instead of “connecting the dots” between these mighty works and arriving at the sum that Jesus is mightier than ordinary men, they miss and cry out that he is a ghost.

You would almost think that the best Jesus could do is walk away shaking his head and wondering how they could miss so much. Instead he shows all of us what hope we can have in him, even as we fail to grasp his presence in our everyday lives. He grasps Peter by the hand and lifts him into the boat. He recognizes Peter’s lack of faith, but this does not stop his relationship with Peter. It continues on through many more experiences that they have together. It will take until the gifting of the Holy Spirit before Peter finally functions as a faithful disciple. So too with us, Jesus doesn’t give up on us, but journeys on, always sharing his Spirit with us.