Go Ahead to the Other Side

 

Go Ahead to the Other Side

(Based on Matthew 14:13-33)

 

After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus went in a boat to a deserted place to be alone. Something he often did: to pray, to ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to carry out the mission God had sent him to do. As often happened, Jesus did not remain alone for long. The crowds heard of it and followed him on foot. Scripture tells us that “Jesus had compassion on them and cured their sick.” The healing continued late into the afternoon. We all know the story: Jesus took five loaves and two fish blessed them and feed the crowd, “five thousand men, plus women and children.”

 

“Jesus then made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. He then went up the mountain by himself to pray. By evening the disciples’ boat was being tossed and battered by the wind and they were making no progress, As Jesus came walking toward them on the sea, they were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”(Matthew 14:22-27)

As we live today in strange and frightening times: times of pandemics and earthquakes and hurricanes; times of protests, some of which have turned violent; times when we distrust people who are different than we are: people who look different, or think differently or act differently or believe differently, I wonder if we are not just as frightened as were Jesus ‘disciples in the storm on the lake that night so long ago. I for one need to hear Jesus say, “take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

 

Just as Jesus sent the disciples on ahead to the other side, I believe he is sending us to the other side of today’s trials and tribulations: of pandemics and protests, of deaths and devastation, to meet him and continue his work, our work of curing and healing. Like the disciples, we will not get to the other side without going through this storm. I also believe that like Peter, bless his heart, we will trust Jesus enough to get out of the boat to go to him. And like Peter, we will see the strong winds and waves, the fear, anger, death and destruction around us and begin to sink, calling out to Jesus, “Lord Save me!” And as Jesus did for Peter, he will reach out his hand and catch us, restoring our faith and sharing with us his strength wisdom and courage.

 

With Jesus holding our hands, we will emerge on the other side of the Coronavirus, protests, distrust and death, confusion and fear to be not part of problem, but part of the solution, God’s solution. We will be God’s hands and feet, helping to rebuild cities, helping to rebuild relationships. We will recognize one another as children of God, learn to love and trust rather than hate and fear. As we hear, again and again, the words of Jesus, “take heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” we can pray with St. Francis:

 

“Lord, make us instruments of your peace, Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.