I was going home one evening when it started to rain. Water just fell from the sky so strong and steady. Big drops of liquid precipitated mightily as though the valves of heaven were opened to their maximum degree. It made visibility difficult. Inside the driver’s seat, I could hear loud thuds of endless torrent cascading above my head. I was just thankful that the old Tamaraw FX I was driving provided me a roof. The sound was threatening that augured imminent danger. Soon enough the road seem like a stream. The heavy rain moved my heart to fear.
I was traversing N. Bacalso Avenue towards Pardo. The cars ahead of me slowed down until traffic came to a stop. The street was now flooded making it hard for our vehicles to pass. A number of multicabs were parked-dead along the road while stranded passengers with disgusted looks waded on the water to find other jeepneys to ride. Some were drenched, others had umbrellas against the rain. I looked at my watch; it was almost eight o’clock in the evening. I could see murky waters rushing furiously from the highlands, but the culverts downhill are not big enough to accommodate the large volume of rainwater. Drainage problem haunts the city every time it rains as hard as this. And this part of the city is immediately transformed into a lake bringing unspeakable inconvenience to many residents. In times like this, people would surely wish they have the skill of Jesus to walk on water. It took me several grueling hours to arrive home.
When the city is flooded with water rising knee-deep or even higher, I am reminded of the Gospel story about Jesus walking on water (Mt 14:22-33). Of course, the scene was different. He made the miraculous act on Lake Galilee, a picturesque freshwater lake in Israel. On that occasion, perhaps only his feet and the tassels of his clothes got wet. The feat was tremendously awesome! Now faced with the menace of flooding, there is the desire in me to entreat the Lord. “Please give me this gift so that I can teach others to walk on water.” It would be presumptuous indeed because not even Peter was successful in acquiring the skill. He already made several steps after getting outside the boat, but he lost focus and trembled with fright at the sight of strong waves. He began to sink. Walking on water is beyond our natural capacity. But it is a part of the hidden mystery in the person of Jesus. It revealed his capacity to transcend the elements of nature. He can make the impossible possible.
The icon of Jesus walking on water is an invitation to faith. He showed himself as the master of the waves and the wind. Through such a feat, Christ is giving us an answer to the puzzling realities that come to our lives that oftentimes bring us doubts and fears. Though we may be threatened by heavy rains and flood or even far greater perils like earthquake, tsunami, terrorism, sickness, materialism and many other dangers, we stay serene from the reassuring words of Jesus, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” It is our faith that colors our drab existence. It is faith that makes life beautiful.
The scripture is full of stories when God assured His Chosen People of his saving power and presence. The daily Mass readings last week narrated the experience of the 12 scouts that Moses sent to reconnoiter the land of Canaan (Num 13:1-33). Upon their return after 40 days, they brought along fruits, which showed the richness of the land. But they also spread discouraging reports of the fierceness of its inhabitants. This led the people’s heart to fear. So great was their disappointment that they wailed! God was not pleased with their complain and lack of trust.
Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez, 89 years old archbishop emeritus of San Juan de Puerto Rico, is one of the only five cardinals still living from the 1978 conclave in Rome that elected John Paul II. As he looks back of the man whom the world now calls “Blessed,” he remembers his words addressed to the whole Church at the beginning of his long pontificate: “Do not be afraid.” He looks at John Paul II as a fearless man. He shared in CNN that a year after John Paul II was elected pope, he visited his native land and told massive throngs of Poles suffering the yoke of communism: “Do not be afraid!”
Jesus invites us to a fearless discipleship. God can do the extraordinary. Let us fill our days with a deep and indomitable trust in Jesus. He calls us, too, to walk on water.