TRUSTING JESUS ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Tuesday, 8^th August 2017,

Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Dominic

Num 12: 1-13;

Ps 51: 3-7, 12-13 (R) 3;

Mt 14: 22-36. Or 15: 1-2, 10-14.

TRUSTING JESUS!

"Jesus made the disciples get in the boat", he was aware that the waters were not calm. Jesus chooses this incident to lead his disciple to a challenging or difficult situation. Peter was an expert fisherman and knew the sea well. But today, he was asked to do something beyond his expertise – to walk over the waters! In order to walk on the water, Peter had to get out of the boat. When Jesus wants us to do something extraordinary in our lives, he expects us to step out of our current situation in order to do faith-filled, wonderful things. Unless we have the courage to go out of the boat and trust the Lord, he can do nothing.

St. Peter, caught in stormy conditions on the sea, expressed his complete confidence that if Jesus were to call him out of the boat to walk on water, it would happen. Jesus does call him to Himself and St. Peter begins to walk on water. Interestingly, this story reveals much to us about our own lives of faith and much more about the goodness of Jesus. So often we begin with a faith in our head and have every intention of living that faith. Like Peter, we often make firm resolutions to trust in Jesus and to “walk on water” at His command. However, all too often we experience the same thing Peter did. We start to live the trust we express in Jesus, only to suddenly waver and give in to fear in the midst of our hardship. We begin to sink and have to cry out for help. This is the ideal story in that it reveals the depth of Jesus’ mercy and compassion. It reveals that Jesus will catch us and draw us out of our doubts and fears when our faith gives way. Know that Jesus is full of compassion and will reach out to you in your weakness just as He did to Peter. Let Him grab your hand and strengthen your lack of faith out of His abundance of love and mercy.

Prayer: Lord, I do believe. Help me when I falter. Help me to always turn to You when the storms and challenges of life seem to be too much. May I trust that, in those moments more than any other, You are there reaching out Your hand of grace. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.