Word of life

"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matt. 14:27) 

Lake Tiberias, also known as "the Sea of Galilee", is 21 km long and 12 km wide. But when the wind blows down through the Bekaa Valley, even the fishermen who are accustomed to sailing on the lake are afraid. That night Jesus' disciples were truly afraid: the waves were high and the wind was against them. They could hardly manage to steer the boat.

Then something unexpected happened. Jesus, who had stayed on land by himself to pray, suddenly appeared walking on the water. The Twelve were already frightened by the weather conditions, but now they began to cry out in fear, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

The person they saw before them could not possibly be Jesus. Only God, according to the Book of Job, walks upon the waters (cf. Job 9:8). And then came Jesus's words: "Take heart, it is l; do not be afraid." He gets into the boat and the sea becomes calm. Not only do the disciples feel at peace again, but they also recognise Jesus as 'Son of God' for the first time: "Truly you are the Son of God."

"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

That boat driven by the wind and tossed on the waves has become the symbol of the Church throughout the ages. For every Christian, who is on his voyage through life, sooner or later comes the time for fear. Perhaps you too have sometimes found your heart in a storm.

Perhaps you felt a headwind was blowing you in the opposite direction from the one you wished to take; and you were afraid that your own life or the life of your family might founder.

Is there anyone who does not go through these trials? They can have the appearance of failure, poverty, depression, doubt, temptation... Sometimes what hurts most is the suffering of those who are closest to us. It might be a son who is a drug addict or who cannot find his path in life, a husband who is an alcoholic or unemployed, the separation or divorce of people we love, elderly or sick parents...

We can also feel intimidated by the materialistic and individualistic society that surrounds us, with its wars, violence and injustice... Faced with these situations, doubt might creep in. Where has the love of God gone? Was it all an illusion, a dream?

There is nothing worse than feeling alone in times of trial. When there is no one with whom to share the pain, or who can help to resolve the difficult situations, every suffering can seem unbearable. Jesus knows this. That is why he appears on our stormy sea, comes close to us and says once more:

"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

It seems he is saying to us: "That's me in your fear. When I was on the cross and I cried out my forsakenness, I too was filled with the fear that the Father had forsaken me. I'm there in your discouragement: there on the cross I too had the impression that I didn't have the consolation of the Father.

"Are you confused? I too was like that, to the point of crying out 'Why?' Like you and even more than you, I felt alone, doubtful, wounded... I felt on my shoulders the pain of all human wickedness..."

Jesus has truly entered into every suffering, and has taken on himself every one of our trials, identifying himself with each one of us. He is there in all that hurts us and makes us afraid. Every circumstance that is painful or frightening is his countenance. He is Love and love casts out fear.

Every time we are overcome by fear, or we feel oppressed by suffering, we can try to recognise the true reality that is hidden there. It is Jesus who has come into our lives. It is one of the many countenances with which he manifests himself. Let us call him by name: it is you, Jesus forsaken-doubt. It is you, Jesus forsaken-betrayed. It is you, Jesus forsaken-ill.

Then let us invite him to get into our 'boat', let us welcome him and allow him to enter our life. And then go on living what God wants from us, throwing ourselves into loving our neighbour. We will discover that Jesus is always Love. We can then say to him, as the disciples did: "Truly you are the Son of God!"

Embracing him will become our peace, our comfort, our courage, our balance, our health, our victory. Embracing him will be the explanation of everything and the solution to everything.