Awakenings

by Father Thomas Keating

Events in Jesus' Ministry

Chapter 3

Christ in the Storm

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles off-shore, 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 him, and said to him, "Oh 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. 14:22-33)

    Let us read this dramatic text from the perspective of our own experience of grace. On the Feast of Pentecost the Spirit of Christ, poured out on the original disciples, is poured out on us. Year by year, this feast refines our receptive apparatus so that we can tune in to the more profound, delicate, and fascinating messages of the universe and its source.

    Jesus had spent the night in prayer. How was he to bring his disciples to a better understanding of the kingdom of God? The kingdom involves a change of values at the deepest level. This is a project that terrifies most people. Theoretically, it would be great to grow up. Actually, we usually say, "Let's wait a few days, weeks, years."

    Jesus was inspired by the Spirit to use this opportunity to bring his disciples to a deeper level of understanding. The Gospel is not so much a teaching as a transmission. From the Old Testament we know about Elias' meeting God in the hurricane in the earthquake, and in the fire. A hurricane shatters rocks, picks things up and throws them down, blows everything away. An earthquake unsettles the ground under you. Fire is something you run from as fast as you can. The hurricane and earthquake are symbols of opposition from outside. The fire is an image of interior temptation. The hurricane, the earthquake, and the fire are the difficulties and the trials that overtake us in the course of the spiritual journey.

    The disciples in the boat, battered and beaten by the winds and the waves, are symbols of those who try to obey the Gospel and meet various kinds of opposition. They come upon the naive disciple who thinks that having accepted Christ, prayer and meditation are going to provide a magic carpet to bliss or even better, to financial success in this world. No chance!

    In the midst of this storm, a figure emerges out of the darkness. What the disciples thought they saw is something that one might easily visualize at 3 a.m.: "It's a ghost!" Jesus is walking on the water. He emerges out of the storm. This means that, in a real sense, he is in the storm, in the wind, in the waves. Peter hears the invitation to come to Jesus over the water. In other words, Peter is invited to lay hold of Jesus in the midst of opposition, disappointment, and the stretching of faith. Peter is the symbol of those whose faith perceives that the wind is not just wind, but Christ, inviting us to find him in the midst of opposition and temptation.

    The immediate response of the disciples is terror and they start crying out, fearful of the ghost that is bearing down on them. Jesus calls to them, "Look! It is really I! Don't be afraid."

    Then Peter says, "Lord, tell me to come to you over the water."

    Jesus says, "Come!" Peter steps out onto the waves. He is walking on the water! He reaches out for the Lord in the midst of the elements. He hangs on for dear life to the presence of Christ in the midst of the storm.

    All of a sudden, the wind increases. A wave splashes against his legs and the spray moistens his face. Now there is a slight shift from his focus on Jesus to the actual situation. He begins to sink. He cries out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus reaches out and pulls him into the boat. There comes a great calm and the apostles in astonishment proclaim, "Truly, you are the Son of God!"

    It's nice to know that we are not expected to succeed the first time we try to see God in the midst of difficulties from within or from without. We miss the first few times. When we start sinking, we have only to call for help and God seems to moderate the intensity of the trial so that we can get a brief rest and try again. The "again" for the apostles was Jesus' crucifixion and they all sank. Trials always look like impossible situations. We try to accept them but things get too tough. Our faith and trust wither and we begin to sink. We call for help and Jesus rescues us. There is a brief calm. If we continue the journey, the wind and the waves start up again. Again we try to find Jesus in the particular difficulty; again we start to drown; he pulls us out. This is the story of everyone's spiritual journey The only mistake is to go down and stay down; to sink and not yell for help.

    Little by little we are able to hear the still small voice in the hurricane, the earthquake, or the fire. God is hidden in difficulties. If we can find him there, we will never lose him. Without difficulties, we do not know the power of God's mercy and the incredible destiny he has for each of us. We must be patient with our failures. There is always another opportunity unless we go ashore and stay there. A no-risk situation is the biggest danger there is. To encounter the winds and the waves is not a sign of defeat. It is a training in the art of living, which is the art of yielding to God's action and believing in his love no matter what happens.

This chapter is taken from the book Awakenings by Fr. Thomas Keating. You can obtain a copy from the Bookstore.  See Awakenings