Medical Colleagues in Christ,
Attached is our Chaplin, Fr. Sanjai Devis’ second monthly reflection for our spiritual nourishment.
This month Fr. Sanjai centers his reflection on St. Peter’s experience walking on water and his need to turn to Jesus to save him when the experience threatens to overwhelm him. Frequently we, too, find ourselves overwhelmed by the events of our professional and personal lives. Jesus is always there for us, too. All we have to do is turn to him during these times.
Enjoy this second installment of The Spiritual Side. May God bless and keep you and your families.
Gerry
Gerald V. Burke, MD, Esq.
President, Diocese of Camden Guild of the Catholic Medical Association
geraldburke4@icloud.com
“The One who calls you out of the boat, will uphold your every step”
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a 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…. 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 Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Matthew 14: 22-33
For this month’s Spiritual Side reflection, I would like to reflect on the above gospel. After Jesus sent the crowd away to their homes and the disciples to the other side of Sea of Galilee, he went up the mountain to pray. There, in the silence of the mountain and the night, Jesus encountered his Father and spent time with him. Jesus frequently spent time in prayer.
In the gospel, Matthew is reminding us that in the midst of the busyness of our life and activities, we too need periods of prayer and solitude to restore our energies and listen to what God is inspiring us to do. We are all engaged in busy work and commitments – in our families, our church communities, social organizations, our workplaces, with our patients and their families, and our co-workers. And giving of ourselves to others will always drain us. That is why many of us may go away for retreats and vacations, especially during these summer months: because it helps us to thrive and live well. And in the gospel, Jesus reminds us through his own actions, that we must allow God to nourish us and restore us often.
So, in the midst of the uncertainty and anxiety, fear and helplessness of the pandemic, how have we paid attention to God’s whispers, and how has God spoken to us – in the shutdown of our offices and practices, in the overwhelming number of Covid-19 cases in our hospitals, in the differing political opinions and news media, and in the silence of our hearts and homes?
The gospel continues with the story of Jesus walking on the water and his interaction with Peter. When Peter asked whether he could go to Jesus walking on the water, Jesus said “come.” It is interesting that as long as Peter’s eyes are on Jesus he walks on the water without fear. However, when the potential consequences of his actions became clear, Peter began to sink. But Jesus was right there, stretching out his hands to pull him up.
This might be an experience that we are familiar with in our own lives. Like Peter, we have experienced times when we felt Jesus inviting us to take a step of faith, maybe we felt a desire to do something, to pursue a dream we have, to be involved in the Catholic Medical Association or an organization. We go for it and start off fine; we have our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Then we hear that when Peter saw how strong the wind was, his gaze shifts from Jesus to the wind and the waves and he panics and starts sinking. Like Peter, we too feel overwhelmed, when we realize that we might be in over our heads, we begin to doubt and say to ourselves – maybe I misheard God or life brings different challenges and storms. Whatever the situation is, like Peter, we begin to look around, take our eyes off Jesus, lose our focus, feel overwhelmed, and begin to sink.
Aware of his predicament and the danger, Peter’s gaze turns back to Jesus and he calls out to him for help and immediately Jesus reaches out and holds him. Like Peter, we too can call out to the Lord, and as he comes to help us, the winds of our life die down and there is a great calm.
The great thinker and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “Peter had to leave the boat and risk his life in order to learn perhaps the most valuable lesson and straightest path in the spiritual journey: the realization of both his own weakness and the almighty power of Jesus.”
Peter shows us not to live in fear. At least Peter was willing to get out of the boat and take the risk by trusting in Jesus. All the other disciples stayed in the boat – playing it safe.
Stepping out of the boat might be difficult; but as someone said, the hardest moment might actually be that breath we take in between: when we see the wind and the waves, and when we decide to call out for help. Because it takes a certain degree of humility. As professionals in our own fields of expertise, many of us may rather try to work it out on our own, than admit that we have reached our limits, we are overwhelmed and we need help.
Walking on the water would be different for each one of us because we face different challenges. However, what Jesus is reminding us is “Take courage…; do not be afraid.” I end with this quote from an unknown author: “The One who calls you out of the boat, will uphold your every step.”
