Occasionally, I see a story in the news that describes a catastrophic accident aboard a sailboat.  Sailboats are designed to withstand enormous stresses on their hulls and rigging, but a powerful storm can demast a boat.  (Demasting is when the mast of a sailboat is broken loose from its rigging.) 

Sometimes, when a boat is demasted, the crew is so frightened by the event that they decide to abandon ship.  This choice is always a mistake and, sometimes, a fatal one.  Except in the rarest of circumstances, a sailboat, even one missing its mast and rigging, will remain afloat in the foulest weather.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of sailboat crews.  In most cases of serious storm damage to a sailboat, the boat remains afloat, but the crew perishes if they abandon ship. 

In today’s Gospel reading, Peter wanted to obey Jesus’ command, but he had insufficient faith to succeed.  He stepped out of the boat when Jesus told him to do, but his weak faith caused him to sink immediately.  Like sailors who abandon ship in a storm, Peter should have remained in the boat. 

The author of Matthew’s Gospel used this event in the lives of the disciples to address a serious problem facing the congregation for whom the Gospel was composed.  There were tensions in the congregation, as well as serious disagreements.  The conflicts among church members led some to want to leave the congregation or to force others to do so.  Divisions among Church members and groups might seem normal, but they remain contrary to Jesus’ command to love not only those who love you but those who don’t, as well. (Mt. 5:44) 

Today, there is no lack of division and disagreement in the Church.  To paraphrase Jesus, wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, there are at least four competing opinions. 

The various conflicts and disagreements in the Church cause predictable reactions.  Each of the roughly one billion Catholics in the world feels deeply that there should be a Church tailored specifically to her or his own personal tastes.  In reality, there is one Church with many members rather than many churches with one member each.  Despite the understandable tendency to distance oneself from conflict and dissension, it’s worth the effort to renounce our tendency to cut ourselves off from others because doing so cuts us off from God, as well. 

I’m not suggesting a naïve expectation that complete single-mindedness is possible in the Church, but I am suggesting that it’s worth making any effort necessary to maintain Church unity. 

The translation of this Gospel passage obscures a central aspect of the story.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought they were seeing a ghost. (Mt. 14:26)  He tried to calm them by reassuring them that it was him, in the flesh.  His reassurance took the form of a direct reference to the revelation of the Divine Name to Moses on Mount Horeb. (Ex. 3:14)  Our translation of the Gospel says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt. 14:27)  The original text of the Gospel reports that Jesus said, “I am.”  He was describing himself as the presence of God, the only embodied presence of the Godhead. This revelation of Jesus’ true nature is the cause of both hope for Church unity and the accomplishment of Church unity. 

Church unity is entirely possible, as long as we keep in our minds that there is One God, Jesus is the single embodied presence of God and, therefore, the group of Jesus’ disciples form one community. 

Sailboats are designed to withstand the enormous stresses of wind and waves.  In a like manner, the Church is designed to withstand the stresses of disagreements, failure, and sin.  Despite our tendency to think that we might be better off on our own, everyone is much better off when we remain together in the boat.