Storm in a teacup!

Surprises are indeed a part of human life. We know this both from personal experience as well as from history in general. The knowledge we have of our own selves is limited and often erroneous. It is still more so in regard to natural phenomena and the world as a whole.

Today's Gospel is proof enough of that. After the nice meal they all had together, the disciples, the crowds and Jesus with them, on the hill of the multiplication of bread, the disciples barely realised that another proof of Jesus's divine power was just round the corner.

The crowds had gone home, the disciples went back to their fishing boats, and Jesus went alone to pray. Briefly, it looked as though they all had had enough for the day, and that was that.

But it was not to be so. Another experience and a test of a different nature was awaiting the disciples not far away. While they were in the boat, already half way across the sea, a sudden storm broke out and the wind was against them.

They were simply terrified. Fortunately, right in the middle of the night, Jesus came to them walking on the surface of the sea. Instead of picking up courage at the unexpected sight of Jesus "they became still more terrified and cried out for fear".

At first they thought it was a phantasm or a figment of their imagination. But Jesus spoke to them and said: "Take courage, it is myself; do not be afraid!"

That could have been the end of the story. But there was still more to come. With Our Lord's permission, Peter came out of his boat and walked over the water to reach Jesus.

But seeing how strong the wind was, Peter lost courage and began to sink, and so he cried out: "Lord, save me!"

Jesus condescended to Peter's request, but said to him: "Why did you hesitate, man of little faith?"

It was all like a storm in a teacup! I do not know what we would have done if we were in Peter's situation. All kinds of storms arise in our lifetime, even though we, like Peter, do believe in Jesus's divine power.

Our faith in Christ and our love for him do help us at times to remain faithful to him. As good, practising Christians we know that he is there all the time, always ready to come to our assistance. But when some kind of 'storm' arises all of a sudden in our lives, we too become frightened and forget that in reality we are not alone.

Jesus is there, with us and even within us. An experience of this kind, reminds us that we believers in Christ are nonetheless still human beings with all our frailties and limitations, and that Jesus is always there, perhaps round the corner, or hidden in our very fears and weaknesses.

Throughout the four Gospels it becomes evident that Peter had been singled out by Jesus, almost from the beginning, to become head of the Christian Community, which is his Church. Here, however, Peter is described as a man "not different from us" ordinary Christians.

If his great sincerity and astounding faith single him out as the one on whom Jesus wanted to "build his Church", his human weaknesses instil courage and hope in us as Christians.

No mater how numerous and how great the storms that now and again are bound to arise in our lifetime will be the prayerful SOSes we address to God in our needs will always be followed by the Lord's reply: "Do not be afraid: I am still near you, even if hidden behind your doubts and trials."

The same attitude holds for the Church at large. Persecutions and trials have been the order of the day throughout these past 20 centuries. And yet the Church has always come out victorious. "If God is with us, what can be against us?"