“HE TOOK PETER, AND US, BY THE HAND”
(A homily on Matthew 14: 22–34, given at St. Matthew Orthodox Church, August 9, 2020)
Fr. Andrew Harmon
ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO IN EUROPE, A VERY DESPONDENT AND DEPRESSED MAN WENT TO SEE A PSYCHIATRIST, SEEKING HELP AND ADVICE ON HOW TO COME OUT OF HIS DEEP FUNK. THE PSYCHIATRIST SAID, “THERE IS SOMETHING I OFTEN ADVISE PATIENTS IN YOUR SITUATION TO DO. IT MAY NOT TOTALLY CURE YOUR DEPRESSION, BUT IT WILL HELP! HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE GREAT CLOWN GRIMALDI?” THE PATIENT REPLIED, “OH, YES, OF COURSE!” THE PSYCHIATRIST THEN SAID, “GRIMALDI IS SO FUNNY, SO ENTERTAINING, SO HILARIOUS, THAT YOU SHOULD GO TO THE CIRCUS AND BE CHEERED UP BY HIM.” “IT WON’T WORK, DOCTOR,” ANSWERED THE DEPRESSED MAN. “WHY NOT?” ASKED THE DOCTOR. “BECAUSE,” REPLIED THE PATIENT, “BECAUSE, DOCTOR, YOU SEE – I AM GRIMALDI!”1 guess poor Grimaldi stayed depressed! Despair and depression are most unpleasant conditions to go through. The Twelve Disciples had a lot of it in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14. They were sailing at night across the Sea of Galilee, when one of the sudden bad storms common to that big lake began. They were having a very rough time and were in danger of their little fishing boat sinking. You might be thinking, “Well, even if it was a bad storm, why would they be so despondent and worried? With Jesus along, it all should be fine!” But – Jesus was not along! He had stayed back on the other side of the lake for private prayer. It looked like they were on their own this time. Jesus wasn’t there and the storm was rough. As St. Matthew (an eyewitness, as he was on board) wrote in verse 24 of our reading, “The wind was against them.” Then suddenly Christ arrived, walking right on the water towards them. His presence and his words must have greatly cheered them. In verse 27, he says, “Take heart, it is I! Have no fear!” St. Peter, that most impulsive man, got so ex-
cited that he wanted to walk on water, too. The Lord agreed that he could – and he did. He was able to walk for a ways on the surface of the lake, but then he became afraid. And as fear replaced faith, he began to sink. As he was going under, he cried out, “Lord, save me.” As St. Matthew writes in verse 31, “Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.” He pulled Peter out of the water and put him back in the boat. And then He miraculously calmed the storm. All was well! Storms happen in our lives. We, as a church, had
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