Reflect today on whatever our Lord may call you to do

On the fourth vigil of the night, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus said to them: “Courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Matthew 14: 25-27

Does Jesus scare you? Or, rather, will His perfect and divine scare you? Hopefully not, but sometimes it can, at least in the beginning. This story reveals to us some spiritual insights and how we can respond to God's will in our lives.

First of all, the context of the story is important. The Apostles were on a boat in the middle of the lake at night. Darkness can be seen as the darkness we face in life as we face various challenges and difficulties. The boat has traditionally been seen as a symbol of the Church and the lake as a symbol of the world. So the context of this story reveals that the message is one for all of us, living in the world, staying in the Church, encountering the "darkness" of life.

Sometimes, when the Lord comes to us in the darkness we encounter, we are immediately frightened of Him. It is not so much that we are frightened of God himself; rather, we can easily be frightened by God's will and what He asks of us. God's will always calls us to selfless gift and sacrificial love. At times, this can be difficult to accept. But when we remain in the faith, our Lord will kindly tell us: “Take heart, it's me; do not be afraid." His will is nothing we should be afraid of. We must try to welcome it with full confidence and trust. It can be difficult at first, but with faith and trust in Him, His will leads us to a life of greatest fulfillment.

Reflect today on whatever our Lord may call you to do right now in your life. If at first it seems overwhelming to you, keep your eyes on Him and know that He will never ask you for anything too difficult to accomplish. His grace is always sufficient and his will is always worthy of full acceptance and trust.

Lord, your will be done in everything in my life. I pray that I can always welcome you into the darkest challenges of my life and keep my eyes fixed on you and your perfect plan. May I never give in to fear but allow you to dispel that fear with your grace. Jesus I believe in you.