Walking on Water Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 

1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33

         The Gospel passage describes Jesus, at nighttime, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, walking miraculously on the water towards his disciples. Seeing Jesus, Peter cries out, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” After Jesus invites Peter to step out of the boat and walk towards him, Peter climbs out of the safety of his boat and begins to walk on water towards Jesus, but then, in a moment of fear, Peter stops focusing on Jesus and instead focuses his attention on the wind and waves and begins to sink. In response, Jesus stretches out his hand, catches Peter, and brings Peter into the safety of the boat. As Jesus saves Peter from drowning, he says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

         If Peter, comments Scott Hahn, “is a man of little faith, that means we are men of practically none.”^[1] For this reason, it is fitting that the Church, which the disciples’ boat represents, is directed by the successor of Peter, the Pope, whose role is to strengthen his brethren. (Luke 22:32)

         Interpreting Jesus’ words to Peter in a similar way, Fr. Michael White describes Jesus’ “words as a form of encouragement, by the best of coaches who wants those he oversees to succeed. In other words, Jesus was saying to Peter, ‘Why did you doubt? You almost made it. You can do this. Rely on me; trust in me; focus on me.’”^[2]

         The founder of my community, Fr. Menard, also shares a similar manner in interpreting Jesus’ words to Peter. Fr. Menard asks, “Why did Peter sink in the waters?” He then responds to the question by asserting that Peter sank “because he first had faith to cast himself into the water, because he had faith in the word of the Lord, because he had faith to follow Jesus.” 

         Fr. Menard continues, “The other apostles who stayed on the ship never sank in the sea, because they never threw themselves into it.” He concludes, “Generally, the lack of Peter’s faith is emphasized. Nevertheless, he had much more faith than lack of it. Too much is said about his sinking in the waters and very little is said about the great stretch of water he walked over. If Peter sank when he was only one meter from Jesus, he walked thirty-nine meters over some stormy and violent waters.” ^[3]

         Like Peter may we have the courage to walk towards Jesus in the midst of the storms of our lives and if we begin to sink because of the waves and winds that beat against us may we, like Peter, set our sight once again on Jesus and cry to him to save us, and Jesus will because it is His nature to save, for our Heavenly Father did not send Jesus “into the world … to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17) May God Bless You All – Father Peter

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^[1] Scott Hahn, The Gospel of Matthew (St. Joseph Communications), CDs.

^[2] Michael White, “Rebuilt Parish Conference 2025,” Timonium, Maryland, June 2, 2025. This is a paraphrase of what Fr. White was saying.

^[3] Menard, Peter, Disciple, and Pastor-1976, 12-13.