"Do not be afraid!"

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Matt 14:24-36

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Of all the apostles of Jesus, the one to whom I can relate the best is Peter. It brings me great comfort, knowing that he became a saint, even though he denied Jesus three times during the Passion and, in the above passage, became afraid even with Jesus standing right in front of him. (I realize it was odd, given they were both standing ON water at the time but still--Jesus was right there!) And, remember, too, how, in Matthew 16, Peter told Jesus that surely He wouldn't have to suffer and Jesus' response was, "Get behind me, Satan." He tells Peter that he's thinking as human beings do, not as God does.

St. Peter persevered and Jesus entrusted the keys of the kingdom to him. He became our first Pope. Peter asked for forgiveness and Jesus forgave him and, now, they are in heaven together for all eternity. That should tell us something!

How many times have I denied my dearest Lord? How many times have I become afraid in the middle of my best intentions to have faith? How many times have I gone back to Jesus, begging forgiveness and mercy for just such things?

I realize it is human nature to be afraid. What I've learned over the past months is that we must fight against our fear. We must persevere in faith, knowing that God will take care of our every need. (Sometimes, I wonder if I'm afraid he won't take care of my every want...) Every time we experience a time of distress, it becomes an opportunity to grow in holiness.

"Do not be afraid." That means we need not be afraid under the worst possible circumstances. We need not be afraid of tomorrow or the next day. We need not dwell on any fearful thought. We need not be afraid, period. We can be completely confident that God will grant us the courage we need when we need it. We can have the wherewithal to experience each moment with peace and joy, God's peace and joy. It is a great blessing, knowing that God is right here and that He longs for us to return to Him forevermore. And, with God's grace, we will...we will!