In the Gospel today, the disciples of Jesus got into a boat, and began to cross the sea in order to get to Capernaum, which was a fishing village St. Peter was from.
Despite the fact that Jesus had not come with them, they rowed 3 to 4 miles from where they had left Our Lord on the shore. It was dark, and as they were crossing the sea at night, a strong wind began to blow.
As the boat was being tossed back and forth by the winds and the waves, they suddenly saw Jesus walking on the water and coming near the boat.
Since it was dark, one might wonder how they could see Jesus walking on the water, yet they did. When they saw Him, they became afraid. Perhaps they thought He was a ghost.
However, as He approached the boat, He said, “It is I, Do not be afraid.” When they heard Him say these words, it must have calmed their fears.
They wanted Him to get into the boat, but suddenly found themselves-- immediately on the shore, which they were heading.
On this occasion, Our Lord worked two miracles. His first miracle was that He walked on the water, which frightened the disciples, until He spoke to them and told them to not be afraid. The second miracle was that He suddenly brought the boat--- immediately to the shore. Because they had arrived on shore so quickly, it wasn’t necessary for Jesus to get into the boat.
Why would Jesus work these miracles? What do they mean? Perhaps the first reason Jesus worked the miracles, was to reveal His divine nature. That He was God. Only God could walk on water and control the forces of nature.
Perhaps, the second reason why Our Lord worked the miracles was to teach the apostles to trust Him, and to turn to Him when they are afraid. He wanted them to understand, that He is always watching over them, and can deliver them from every danger—whether it’s the boat rocking back and forth due to the wind, or perhaps some other fear they need to overcome.
He wanted them to know, that as God, He can do anything for them. Therefore, they shouldn’t fear, but rather, trust in Him in all circumstances.
This event in the life of the apostles is a reminder for us to trust Jesus. When the wind and the waves of our fears and distresses cause us to become frightened, we only have to turn to Jesus, who will calm the waters of our heart.
And, we can always to turn to Mary, the Blessed Virgin. She is the Star of the Sea, and will always guide us to the safe harbor of heaven, if we stay close to Her, and ask Her to help us to trust Her Divine Son.