Finding Mercy in a Familiar Place

Written by Jon Perry on Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

We have all heard the passage of Jesus walking on water many times, but I want to call to attention something we all struggle with. This is a great example of the daily trials we face as Catholics. We all think we know it all sometimes and I know I personally will do anything to avoid asking for help. There is certainly no problem with being motivated, driven and excited about attaining a goal we have set forth for ourselves. Certainly it is God’s will, to utilize the talents and gifts He blessed us with to reach our goals. The mistake we often make however, is believing that we as humans and children of God are expected to walk this journey alone. We frequently get lost in our desires and believe we are capable of doing it all on our own.

After we challenge Jesus as Peter did, we begin to walk on the water (traverse whatever challenge we may face) without issue. We believe that we can handle it; we are overcoming the issue by ourselves. We couldn’t be more wrong. As the story goes, “But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” Isn’t it true that every time we come to a point we cannot pass, we call on Jesus? We thought before we could handle it by ourselves, but it was our faith and trust in Jesus that kept us going, kept us safe. As soon as we begin to doubt Jesus, we begin to sink.

We often deal with disappointment, failure and a sense of not knowing. We feel confident in whatever we are doing, but as soon as we shift our focus off Jesus and on to our own personal agendas, we begin to sink.

At the end of the passage we encounter Jesus’ forgiveness. “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him ‘Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” This is Jesus saying, “Why are you taking all of this on by yourself? I am here to help you, keep your eyes focused on me and together you can achieve anything.”

Questions for Reflection:
Now thinking about the grace and forgiveness Jesus offers, can you think of a time you tried to rely on yourself to accomplish a goal?
When you were not successful, did you quickly turn to Jesus for blame?
Spend a few minutes reflecting on the fact that Jesus isn’t upset with you for your sin and for ignoring/blaming Him, he loves you eternally.

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Jon Perry
Jon is a junior studying Sport Management within the School of Kinesiology at U of M. He is 21 years old, intends to graduate in 2017 and is from Farmington, Michigan. In addition to being involved at St. Mary’s, he is a member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the social Christian fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi and plays on the U of M Club Baseball team.
Email:perryjon@umich.edu