It is no mystery we are living in troubled times. The maladies we are contending with have caused us to live in an era of fear. The opposite of fear is courage and peace, the latter of which comes from above and is something we pray for at every Divine Liturgy. Today on the 9th Sunday of Matthew the Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 14:22-34. In this pericope the disciples find themselves alone in a boat and fearful of the storm that is threatening their lives. Jesus comes to His disciples walking on the water during the fourth watch of the night. They are frightened thinking Him to be a ghost. Our Lord comforts them and says, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear”. Peter steps out of the boat and walks toward Jesus on the water only to lose his focus on Christ, succumbing to his fear of the storm and calling out to Jesus, “Lord save me”. Father Paul reassures us that we can be kept in perfect peace overcoming fear and adversities, if we have a mind stayed on Christ. He shares with us four components that constitute the Christian life and allow us to have a mind stayed on Christ. These include faith, which justifies, saves and makes it possible for us to move mountains and find peace. Prayer, which is essential to the spiritual life and helps when our faith fades. Coming to the church that Christ established allows us to receive blessings and peace. And finally, we must subject our will to the will of God. Yes, we are living in troubled times but the Good News is that if we keep our focus on Christ, we will be able to walk on water and traverse the storms of life.
