"What to do when you get that 'sinking feeling.'"

The lesson of this Gospel is the lesson of what to do when you get that "sinking feeling:" the feeling that Simon Peter had on the Sea of Galilee as he was playing "Titanic" in front of his friends. Now from what the Bible tells us it's quite clear that Peter sank for one reason and one reason only: not because he hit an iceberg, but because he took his eyes off Jesus. Which is precisely why we sink. We sink when-consciously or unconsciously--we take our eyes off the Lord. But what exactly does that mean? What does it mean to take your eyes off Jesus? Very simply, it means "to get distracted." Whenever we get distracted by something or someone, such that faith in Christ no longer guides our life, we take our eyes off the Lord. For Peter, the distraction came in the form of the strong winds that were blowing all around him . Prior to that moment he had been guided by faith in Jesus, hence he was able to do something that would otherwise have been impossible. But all of a sudden, he began to look around, and he said to himself, "Peter, are you nuts? Feel that wind, look at those waves--you can't do this! Besides, 99.9% of the human race cannot walk on water, and you, Mr. Fisherman, are definitely not in the .1%!" In that instant, his faith was replaced by fear, which effectively ended his little stroll on the sea.

The wind distracted Peter. What distracts people today? What distracts us? Well, there are many possibilities, but two of the more common contemporary distractions are suffering and sin. How easy it is, for example, for a person to lose faith when he becomes seriously ill, or when he experiences some other severe trial, like the death of a loved one. Faith in such cases normally gets replaced by anger (anger at God, or at the situation, or at another human being), and the person takes his eyes off the Lord. All of which leads to unhappiness and--at times--depression.

And then there's sin. It's very common today for people to take their eyes off Jesus because of a bottle of beer, or a few bucks, or a one night stand (or some facsimile thereof). In such cases, faith gets replaced by anger or lust or avarice or envy or gluttony or pride or sloth, and the person sinks into a sorry emotional and spiritual state.

So what's the answer? The answer is to do what Peter did. Whenever you get that sinking feeling--for whatever reason--do what he did! First of all, recognize that you can't save yourself! Peter had to face that fact as he was slowly sinking into the Sea of Galilee. Try as he might, he couldn't pull himself out of it! Some of us--especially we "macho" types--may have trouble admitting that we can't make it through life on our own, but we can't! It's not weakness to admit you need God; it's foolishness to think you don't!

Step number 2: Reach out to Jesus. After you admit that you can't save yourself, reach out to Jesus like Peter did, and cry out to the Lord with his plea: "Save me!" How, exactly, do you "reach out" to Jesus? First of all, by going to Confession, if you need to. Jesus is there, in that great sacrament, waiting to give you his forgiveness, waiting to give you a fresh start in life. Then reach out to Jesus in the Eucharist, by entering into deep prayer after you receive him at Mass. (Obviously you can't do that if you do the "Judas Shuffle" and immediately walk out of the church after receiving). And then reach out to Jesus by seeking the help of Christian friends who will support you in your efforts to keep your eyes on him. Confession, Communion and community: that's how you reach out to the Lord.

And then, DON'T LET GO!!! Step 3 is to keep your grip on Jesus strong, like Peter did! He held onto Jesus for dear life, which is why he eventually made it back to the boat safely. How do we keep our grip on Jesus strong? By prayer, by study, and by making the daily effort to put our faith into practice. If we take prayer seriously (not just saying a few formal prayers each day to pacify our consciences), if we study our faith diligently (a radical idea for Catholics, to be sure), and if we make the effort to live it out there in the world, then our grip on the Lord will not loosen.

"But, Fr. Ray, what if it does? What if I lose my grip and fall into serious sin or despair?" Then you go back to step 1, and start all over again.