“Oh you of little faith”
As mentioned in the previous lesson, [Do Not Be Afraid] this situation of the Apostles being in harms way due to the weather happened before. Similar to the previous time when the Apostles were on a boat and the weather was pounding them, Jesus again mentions the lack of faith saying, you of little faith [1]. They still had a ways to go. Yet, it was Peter showing extreme faith and courage by coming out and following Christ, even for just a few moments.
Why did Peter get out of the boat? “His (Peter) special position in the Twelve is clearly affirmed; here it is suggested that Peter has responsibilities not shared by the others. If he is to meet these responsibilities, he must have faith.” [2]Matthew is the only narrative to tell of Peter’s courage. This is no surprise because this is the start in his Gospel showing Peter’s place as head of the Apostles.
Why did Peter start to sink? “Peter stopped looking at Jesus and began to notice the difficulties around him. Seeing that the wind was so strong, he became fearful. He forgot for a moment that the strength holding him up on the water did not depend on the circumstance, but on the Will of the Lord...Peter began to sink, not because of the waves but because his confidence in him who can do all things wavered.” [3] What things in our life have distracted us from Christ? If we are supposed to keep our eyes on Jesus, how do we do that in our lives? How can we keep our eyes on Jesus?
Peter, although sinking, still had faith that Jesus could save him. He had the courage to ask for the Lord’s help. We must remember, “when our cooperation is lacking divine help also ceases.” [4] At times, we can be out of our element when God asks us to rise above the occasion. Peter was asked to do the impossible; to walk on water. Many of us are asked at times in our lives to do things we think are impossible. We should never forget that “God does not demand the impossible. Instead, when He makes a request, He asks that we do what we can do, that we ask for what we cannot do and for his help to carry it out.” [5] Saint Mother Teresa would say to her sisters that God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful. Saint Peter was not successful walking on water, but he was faithful.
What is courage? Courage is a “virtue of bravery in facing difficulties, especially in overcoming the fear of consequences in doing good.” [6] There are two types of courage; moral and physical. Moral courage deals with the pursuit of doing what is right even if that means we are ridiculed for it. Physical courage is the emotional or physical strength to hold up against certain opposition. One area in particular that we can exercise our courage is in the Pro-Life movement. We face fierce opposition, and it takes real courage to go and pray in front of an abortion clinic. Discuss some other areas where we can be courageous.
How is courage different from fortitude? “Courage is being more aggressive in undertaking, whereas fortitude is more patient in undergoing what is virtuous but hard.” There are times in our lives when we need to be aggressive; to take charge in our life. Courage is the virtue that helps us step out of the timid part of ourselves and do what needs to be done.
How did Peter have courage? Peter aggressively went after what God had called him to do. For us in our own vocation, we must be courageous and go after what God is calling us to do. We must have confidence in God to keep us from drowning under this world.
Why does Jesus say “oh you of little faith”? He only remarks this to His disciples, not to everyone. He tells it to those who should have the deepest of faith in Him. [7] Since we are followers of Christ, we too should hear Jesus’ remarks.
How can we regain our confidence? We can make an examination of conscience and see where we made our faults. Remember, God is the constant. We are the ones who go off and lose sight of Him. We are the ones who get tossed around when the waves are rough, but we are all called, just as Jesus called Peter out of the boat, to begin our trust in Him again.
“The disciples in the boat represent, in a not too subtle way, the Church, from which Jesus is never far even when the situation is threatening and he is invisible.” [8] The next time we are sinking or our lives seem to be tossed around, we must have the courage to ask for our Lord’s help. We must realize we are the ones who have taken our gaze off of Jesus who is our way, and reach out in faith for Him to help lift us out of our distress.
[1] Mt 8:26
[2] The Jerome Biblical Commentary Mt. 43: 104
[3] In conversation with God 4, 55.2
[4] St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on St. Matthew’s Gospel, 50,2
[5] St. Augustine, On nature and grace, 43
[6] Catholic Dictionary pg. 136
[7] footnotes NAB Mt 6:30
[8] The Jerome Biblical Commentary Mt. 43: 104