August 12th 2023 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

19th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Walking on Water

‘Tell me to come to you across the water’ ‘When you walk through the storm, hold your head up high’. These words from the famous Liverpool F.C. anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ come to mind as we reflect on the dramatic episode described in today’s Gospel extract. Peter leaps from the boat to go to meet Jesus. When he keeps his eyes on Jesus, he literally walks on water and is safe. When he looks down, he falters and sinks. If we lose sight of Jesus, we will falter. If we keep our eyes fixed on Him, we will be able to negotiate even the harshest storms. The episode is also a reminder to us that the Lord is constantly inviting us to step out in faith, to change, to grow, to explore new paths, to reach for new horizons, to reach our full potential. More importantly, He is telling us that He will always be there to hold us up when we fall and fail. We will not walk alone. ‘When you step out in faith, you walk into your purpose’. If you never venture out of the pond that you are in you will never know that there is a sea, an ocean’