Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

This detail from an early 19th-century painting by Philipp Otto Runge depicts the moment Jesus reaches out to rescue St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee. (Public domain)

Eyes on Christ 


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Amen, Amen Matysek Commentary, Commentary, Feature

The summer I turned 9, I was determined to walk on water. Inspired by St. Peter’s faith-filled steps across the stormy Sea of Galilee – and Jesus’ saving hand when his faith wavered – I decided to give it a try. 

After a quick silent prayer at my friend’s pool, I’d step off the narrow deck, somehow expecting that with enough faith, I could turn the water beneath me into liquid glass. Time and again, I splashed straight in. 

So much for an Essex miracle. 

What’s different about my childish steps and those of the first pope is that Peter wasn’t looking for spectacle. He moved not from curiosity, but from a deep trust that where Christ was, safety could be found. 

Unlike the other apostles huddled together in fear, Peter had the courage to venture out of the boat. As long as his faith held, he could do the impossible. But when he started looking at the winds and tumult surrounding him, he sank.  

Scripture doesn’t say Peter doubted immediately. He managed a few steady paces before faltering. Faith often wavers not at the beginning of trials, but midway through – when we’re far from rescue. But even then, Peter’s faith was strong enough to cry out, “Lord, save me!” 

St. Matthew tells us that when Jesus climbed into the boat, the storm ceased. The disciples responded not with questions or doubts, but with worship: “Truly, you are the son of God.” Their fear gave way to awe and adoration. 

Sometimes when I’m in eucharistic adoration at the Baltimore Basilica, Ss. Philip and James or the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, I’m struck by the same sense of wonder. It’s amazing to contemplate that the God present to the apostles more than 2,000 years ago in that storm-tossed fishing boat is the same God present to me in 21st-century Baltimore. 

But when I take my gaze off the Eucharist, just as Peter took his off Christ, I grow uncertain, undisciplined and unfocused. 

Our challenge as Catholics is to keep our eyes on Christ, especially amid life’s storms. Powerful waves surround us: divisions within our church and nation, the constant distractions of social media and increasingly alarming headlines that make us question whether evil is prevailing. Yet those waves cannot sink us if we stay focused on the one who walks on water.  

On a wall of my Catholic Review office hang icons of Our Lady of Czestochowa, St. George and St. Paul. Beneath them are two others: one depicting Christ snatching a sinking St. Peter from a windswept sea and another of Christ Pantocrator – Christ, the ruler of all. 

In this month when the church honors all her saints, those images remind me that faith isn’t about demanding miracles. It’s about learning where to keep focus. 

Our Lady, steady and watchful, speaks of patience and perseverance through suffering. St. George, valiant in battling evil, calls me to courage in my own spiritual tests. St. Paul reminds me that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things – that God’s love endures through every trial. 

The Christ who rescues Peter from the waves brings alive the reality that when I falter, he is already reaching out, ready to lift me, especially in the sacrament of reconciliation. 

I never did walk on water that summer long ago. But I learned that the true miracle is not defying gravity. It is allowing Christ to steady me when I sink, to calm the storms swirling around me and draw me into worship even in the midst of chaos. 

The water may be turbulent, but Christ is already walking toward me on it. My task is simply to keep my eyes on him, especially when I’m most tempted to look away.  

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