In Matthew’s gospel we read,

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Gospel of St. Matthew 14: 22-33)

Sometimes we hear or read these stories and stop listening because we have heard them so often! We fail to allow the Lord to speak to us personally. St. Josemaria Escriva encourages believers to enter into these stories, place ourselves in the scene, as one of the participants, and allow the Lord to speak. In Friends of God he wrote,

If you wish to get close to Our Lord through the pages of the Gospels, I always recommend that you try to enter in on the scene taking part as just one more person there. In this way (and I know many perfectly ordinary people who live this way) you will be captivated like Mary was, who hung on every word that Jesus uttered or, like Martha, you will boldly make your worries known to him, opening your heart sincerely about them all no matter how little they may be.

We can miss our encounter with the Lord if we think the story is only about Peter and the disciples — something distant which happened over two millennia ago. The story is meant for you and me today in the here and now!

We live much of our daily life in the fourth watch of the night — at the time just before daybreak, the end of a night which seems it will never end; in waves of struggle, filled with fear, crippled by dread — and unable to see the Lord on the horizon of hope. This story shows us how to overcome fear through faith, inviting us to live differently, to walk on the waters of daily life by dynamic, living faith.

Remember the context. It was the darkest part of the night, for the fourth watch was between 3 A.M. and 6 A.M. The disciples had returned from experiencing the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. They had seen the Lord take what little bread that they had, multiply it, and give it back to them, so that they could feed the crowd they had suggested be sent away. They knew he was able to work miracles. They participated by simply giving the little they had. After it was all over, they even collected up twelve baskets full!

Now Jesus wanted to pray, to commune with the Father. So He placed them in the boat, which the early Christian Fathers called an image of the Church, the new Ark of the New Covenant. The winds and sea raged and there in the deep darkness they became horribly afraid. Their fear was so crippling that they did not even recognize Him as He came toward them. They thought He was a ghost. “Take Courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” He spoke with such reassurance and tenderness.

Our fears so often cloud our vision and we are unable to even recognize the Lord, the One who is always there, always coming to guide us on His way. He invites us to respond in faith. When we do, grace helps us overcome our fear and walk into freedom.

That is what happened with Peter. He responded in faith to the voice of His Lord. When he looked for Jesus and kept his eyes focused on Jesus he was able to do what seemed to be impossible. When he walked by faith, he walked into the freedom that comes from Jesus, the Lord of the winds and the sea.

We live our lives in Jesus Christ and we are at home in the Boat of the Church. We can always find Him in the fourth watch of the night. When we turn our faith into a verb, we get our sea legs, as they say in the nautical culture.

We learn a new way of living — and of loving. Fear becomes a field of choice, an occasion for trust. In the fourth watch of the night, there is a bridge between fear and freedom which passes through Jesus who tells all who will fix their eyes upon Him, “Take Courage; it is I; be not afraid.”