Ep 99 - Walking on Water

In Episode 99 of Brother from Another Father, Father Isaac Fernandes reflects on the storms we encounter in life and the challenge of recognising God's presence in the midst of them.

Drawing on Elijah's encounter with God in the still, small voice and Peter's attempt to walk on water, he explores why God is not the cause of the chaos in our lives, even though God remains present within it. Peter's journey becomes an invitation to face our fears, step outside our comfort zones, and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus rather than on the storms around us.

Faith, Father Isaac suggests, grows when we are willing to take risks, stumble, and allow Christ to catch us. As a Shona proverb reminds us, “Mbwende haina vanga” — a coward does not have scars.

Sometimes, we have to step into the storm to discover that Jesus is waiting on the other side.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Hello and welcome to episode 99 of Brother from Another Father as we celebrate the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Israelite people were one of the first peoples in the Mesopotamian region to locate the divine presence in their own history. All the pagan peoples that surrounded them found the divine in nature. This is why Baal, one of the key gods in many pagan pantheons, was a god of fertility, a god connected with nature, a god of the rain, a god that made the crops grow, and a god that gave children. There were other gods of lightning and thunder, there was a god of fire, and a god of earth. When we read the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb in this light, we can see that one of the lessons that is being taught here is that the presence of the divine is not to be primarily sought in the fury of the natural elements, as the pagan peoples thought. Many ancient peoples believed that cataclysmic events in nature, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, were signs that the gods were angry with them. For this reason, many of their rituals, especially human sacrifice, were designed to appease the anger of these capricious gods who would visit destruction on the earth when their anger was kindled. Our first reading today is telling us that God is not to be found in the fury of these natural elements. When Elijah goes out in the fire, in the earthquake, and in the hurricane, he is told at each time that God is not in these natural elements. Rather, God is to be found in the still small voice that we can only hear in the silence of our hearts. Many people come to me and share with me the tragedies and chaos of their lives, and they are convinced that God is punishing them. In a way, they have progressed from the pagan belief that the divine anger is manifested in storms and earthquakes, but they have still held on to the pagan notion that the gods are angry with them. Like Elijah, these people have to learn that God is not to be identified with the storms and chaos in their lives. Often that chaos is caused by evil, sometimes it is caused by the sin of others, or sometimes it's just caused by our own stupidity. Often it is caused by the sin and the evil in the world. God is not to be identified as the cause of this chaos. Even if God is not to be identified as the cause of the storms in our lives, God is most definitely present to us in those storms. But the challenge is that it is not easy when we are in the thick of a storm to quieten ourselves down sufficiently to be able to hear the still quiet voice of God. Too often the roaring wind and the waves crashing into our boat drown out the still quiet voice of God. And because we believe that God is everywhere, we mistakenly identify God with all that we can see and hear around us, which is the wind and the waves. So how do we go about finding God's presence in the storms of our lives? Our gospel today gives us some clues. We see the disciples who have been sent out ahead of Jesus in the boat, battling with the wind and the waves. Jesus has remained behind to pray up in the hills that surround the lake. The disciples may think that they are alone and that Jesus has left them to their own devices, but Jesus can see them from atop the high hill where he is praying, and he is praying for them. I think this is a lovely image for us to hold when it seems that God is absent from our lives when we are facing storms. We can take consolation from this image of Jesus looking down on his disciples and praying for them as they battle the storms. We are never truly alone as we face the storms in our lives. Jesus is always with us, praying for us. Then, in the fourth watch of the night, which was the darkest part of the night, Jesus comes to them walking on the water. By this time, the disciples are so full of fear that they mistake Jesus for a ghost. When we allow our fears to get the better of us, even friends can come to seem like enemies, and we withdraw from those closest to us, burying our heads into the security of the sand like an ostrich. We accuse friends and families, members of being our enemies. But as we well know, ignoring a problem is not a good strategy for making that problem go away. And so Peter decides to take the bull by the horns and confront the problem head on. He decides to face his fears and leave the comfort and safety of the boat. When we face the storms in our lives, we often need to find the courage to leave our comfort zones. This move on Peter's part to leave the safety of the boat was not without its own risks. What if it was a ghost and not Jesus? When we are facing a big fear, when we are facing a big decision that is fraught with danger and difficulty, when we think that God is calling us to step out of our comfort zone, how can we be sure that it is truly Jesus calling out to us and not just some figment of our imagination? Peter sets it up so that if it is not the Lord, he will know pretty soon. Because as soon as he steps out of the boat, he will start to sink. But since he doesn't sink and instead starts walking on the water, this confirms for him that it is truly the Lord and not a ghost. This is what is known in Ignatian discernment as a confirmation of a decision. Now it won't normally be as concrete as walking on water, but it will be something that we can feel, and will normally come with a sense of peace. If we have made the right decision in stepping out of our boats, then we will feel a sense of peace because we are coming closer to Jesus. So Peter and Jesus are facing each other, each wanting to join the other. But in between Peter and Jesus there are stormy waves, that which Peter fears the most. But instead of running away from his fears and hoping that Jesus will just come and join him in the boat, without him ever having really to face his fears, Peter starts to walk towards Jesus. He has the courage to do this because he knows that just on the other side of his fears is Jesus. This is a beautiful image that illustrates how our fears separate us from Jesus, and how the only way to come nearer to Jesus is by facing our fears. By conquering our innermost fears, conquering the forces of darkness and despair in our lives, all that which seeks to destroy our joy can never be done in one shot. To take a golfing metaphor, we will never get a hole in one. And to continue with a sports metaphor, there will be times when we will take our eye off the ball. What is the ball? The problem itself? Not at all. This story makes it very clear that the ball is Jesus. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we start focusing on the problem, on the source of our fear, then like Peter, we will start to sink. What does it mean to keep our eyes on Jesus? To keep going back to the original call that Jesus first gave to us when we first met Jesus. That original conviction that Jesus is going to help us through all the problems and storms that we meet in our lives, and we can trust Jesus. This is what it means to keep our eyes on the ball, to keep our eyes on Jesus, to keep remembering the peace that came with trusting Jesus in the first place, to keep remembering the joy and exhilaration that came with walking on water, and to remain constant in prayer. But like I said, we are all human, and conquering our deepest fears is a process that takes time. We might condemn Peter for his lack of faith, but I think that this fall is an essential part of his journey. It gives Peter the opportunity to be saved by Jesus, and to hear these all important words, you have so little faith. Why did you doubt? Each one of us in our own lives needs to hear Jesus say these words to us. They are not said in a condemning tone, but with infinite tenderness, a tenderness that invites us to more faith. For it is at that moment that Peter's faith increases, that he realizes that no matter what comes his way, he can trust the Lord. Our trust of the Lord only grows if we take risks, if we stretch ourselves to the limit, and try and work on walk on water by facing our fears. There is a shone proverb that says, Mwende haina vanga, a coward does not have scars. I think that as Christians, it is important for us to have scars, representing the battles that we have fought with our own fears. It's important for us to have wounds and to show them to Christ and let Christ heal us. If we never hear Christ say to us, You have so little faith, why did you doubt? We won't ever progress in our lives of faith. We need to venture out into the stormy waters and trust that He's waiting on the other side to catch us. And what does it matter if we sink a bit? In fact, so much the better we will have the experience of Jesus reaching out to catch us. God bless and have a good Sunday.