Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (6: 16-21) in which the disciples, who encounter a fierce storm on the lake as they are heading for Capernaum, take fright when they see Jesus approaching them, walking on the water.
As we come to the end of the second week in our Easter season, Fr Paul says, this episode in today’s Gospel of Jesus walking on the water, is also found in Mark and Matthew’s Gospel. When Jesus comes near the boat, he calms the disciples’ fears by telling them ‘It is I; do not be afraid’. The term ‘It is I’ is a phrase used to make the claim that Jesus is divine, that he is God. The disciples are not afraid of the weather but, Fr Paul notes, what we do hear is how in awe they are in the presence of Jesus; we hear of how reverent they are in God’s presence. Fr Paul says, this Gospel then teaches to us about the divinity of Jesus. It also teaches us about how God can, unexpectedly, rescue the disciples and us at times in our lives.
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