Memorial of Saint John Mary Vianney, priest
Today's Mass Readings
Today’s readings remind us that the emotional reaction that is often described when people encounter God is one of anxiety or fear. While this reaction might be ironic, it is so pervasive that Jesus repeatedly instructs his disciples not to fear. (e.g., Mt 14:27, Mt 28:10, Lk 24:36) Our readings provide an opportunity to think about the source of this anxiety and how it might be addressed. We might also consider whether the context in which fear arises plays a part in how God asks us to respond to it. In today’s readings from the Book of Numbers, we find Miriam questioning the method that God has elected to communicate with Moses. God chose to speak to Moses “face to face” (Nm 12:8); instead of through visions or dreams. Miriam questions this communication and speaks out against Moses. We are told that God responds negatively to Miriam’s actions and asks Miriam why she did not “fear” to speak against Moses.” (Nm 12:8).
In our Gospel reading, we find Jesus approaching the disciples’ boat by walking across the sea. When the disciples see this, we are told that they “cried out in fear” (Mt 14:26), and Jesus responds “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27) To verify that it is Jesus, Peter asks Jesus to command that Peter come to Him. Jesus responds by commanding Peter to leave the perceived safety of the boat and walk to Him. We are told that Peter becomes “frightened” and cries out to the Lord to save him, which Jesus proceeds to do.
We have one reading where God is wondering out loud why Miriam is not afraid. In the other reading, we have Jesus instructing his disciples not to fear, yet these reading are not contradictory. In the Gospel reading, Peter’s fear flows from his faith wavering; his inability to trust in the Lord. Peter fears that what Jesus has asked of him is beyond his abilities and he begins to fail – he becomes frightened. Although we are not being asked to walk across water, perhaps we can each identify with Peter. Be it a fear of the unknown or a fear of failure, many people have experienced some anxiety when contemplating their response to Christ. This is the anxiety and fear that Jesus directs us to remove from our lives by further developing our faith. Through that development, we realize that we will not encounter a problem that is beyond our ability to handle through Him.
In contrast to the Gospel reading, where Peter’s fear originates in his struggle to develop his faith, our first reading shows God’s disappointment with Miriam’s willingness to question His messenger (i.e., Moses) without any fear at all. It seems that in this reading, we are reminded that if we should elect to reject God’s message, some anxiety might be a good thing. In this context, fear of the position that we are choosing is beneficial to us.
If there is some aspect of our relationship with God that is causing us fear or anxiety, it might be helpful to examine the cause of that emotion. If it is being caused by reasons similar to those in our first reading, perhaps our anxiety is an early warning sign that a change is necessary. If it is for reasons relating to concerns about our ability to respond to Christ’s message, He assures us that we will be provided with all of the help that we need and our fear and anxiety is unnecessary.
- John Sperino