Today’s readings make us reflect upon our lives. Peter who loved the Lord, jumped into the water when Jesus told, “it is I”. But initially he too like the others were in fear and could not recognize Jesus. In a crisis we too may not see or seek the Lord, who comes to us. We may be able to identify ourselves with St. Peter. As soon as we face a crisis we will be calling friends or relatives, asking for advice, reacting, not knowing what to do or become afraid.

The Gospel proclamation invites us to see Jesus who is coming through the storm to rescue us. Like he saw the disciples in the storm, he sees us in our crisis and he is concerned. In today’s first reading we read of Elijah in crisis. He had run away in fear of Queen Jezebel. But the Lord came to him in his crisis.

Let us use the faculty of imagination given to us by God, and imagine how Jesus is coming towards our boat in the storm. He is showing us, how he is with us, when we go through a crisis. We are frightened to face a crisis. We do not want crises in our lives. Sometimes we do not want to pick up the phone, not knowing what we will be told. But the truth is we cannot avoid problems and storms in our lives. It may come as a sickness, economic crisis, relationship problems or children’s problems. Sometimes we are not recollected enough to hear the voice of the Lord as Elijah did in crisis.

We need to seek the Lord who comes to us, while we are in the crisis, with no answers. We need to remember the image of how St.Peter walked on water, fixing his gaze on the Lord. The storm had not stopped. When he took his eyes off the Lord he started to drown, and Jesus saved him.

Jesus questions our faith as he says to St. Peter “O you of little faith why did you doubt?”. Although we are able to be at peace while holding on to the Lord, as soon as we take off our gaze from the Lord, that is stop praying, the problem may seem to engulf us again. Then we must remember that Jesus is there, waiting to be called upon, to guid us through, like he saved Peter when he cried out: “Lord save me”.
The psalmist says: “You rule over the surging sea, when it’s waves mount up, you still them.” The Lord is in complete control, we need to hold on in faith and trust. Let us ask the Lord Jesus to give us the grace to seek him and hold on to him so that he may turn the storms of our lives into blessings. Let us seek his grace to help us to recognize the people that he sends into our lives who can help us to seek him.

Prayer: Abba Father, anoint us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may believe in the higher truths as we go through storms in our lives. Amen.