NOTES for Mat 14:22-34

Walking on water is a story that almost everyone has always interpreted as a symbol. Indeed, it would be hard to propose a more precise image of faith and life in faith than walking on water. The fact that the Lord Jesus walks on the water does not astonish us as it did the apostles, because we already know that He is the Son of God. From a practical point of view, what Peter does - a human being just like us - is far more important. And when Peter, after volunteering to come to Jesus across the water, began to sink, those of us who read about it must remember that this did not happen in a children's pool, but in a large and stormy lake. For Peter, as for each of us, walking to Jesus on the water is a matter of life and death.

For us who live in a globalised world, where a stream of information pours down upon each person every day, it is obvious that we must select from it what deserves our attention and what is worth looking at. This is why the example of Peter walking on the water is so important to us. His faith is enough for this miracle as long as he looks at Jesus. As soon as Peter is distracted and looks down at his feet, as soon as his attention focuses on the “objective difficulties” of his path, he begins to sink. And so do we...