In the first reading today from Jeremiah 28, we see a new prophet on the scene, Hananiah. Or do we? Hananiah makes a prophesy, but it turns out that he was speaking on his own, not from the Lord. God doesn’t look too kindly on this sort of thing. See what happens to him yourself. In the Gospel from Matthew 14, we see the famous story of Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water.
Good old Peter. Always loaded with good intentions. Jesus, walking on the water, says one word to Peter, “Come.” And Peter jumps out of the boat and starts to walk on the water. Oh, that we would all have that same kind of exuberance as Peter. Jesus says, “Come!”, we jump into (or onto, as the case may be) the water with both feet. Ah, but don’t cue the Chariots of Fire music up yet. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have an Olympic gold medal triumphant ending for poor St. Peter.
When Peter took his eyes off Jesus, looking around at the strength of the storm, he began to sink. The same thing happens to us, in spiritual and temporal matters. We need to set goals for ourselves. Then we must keep our eyes fixed on that goal. Whether it is getting a new job, running a marathon or going to heaven. When we take our eyes off the goal and look around at all the obstacles, it is easy to sink. If we stay focused on the goal (Jesus), the obstacles will eventually all go by the wayside.
Father, help us to keep our eyes on the prize. Let our goal be heaven as we walk the path of holiness, with Jesus as our guide. Amen.
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