Many years ago, Roger Bannister was a track star at Oxford University. He was such a good runner that his coach believed he could break the four-minute mile, an accomplishment unattained by anyone to that point in recorded sports history. Roger wasn’t so sure, but because his coach believed in him, he, too, began to believe in himself.
On May 8, 1954, Roger woke up, looked out the window, and saw that it was cold and windy. Roger telephoned his parents who were planning to drive up that da...
Many years ago, Roger Bannister was a track star at Oxford University. He was such a good runner that his coach believed he could break the four-minute mile, an accomplishment unattained by anyone to that point in recorded sports history. Roger wasn’t so sure, but because his coach believed in him, he, too, began to believe in himself.
On May 8, 1954, Roger woke up, looked out the window, and saw that it was cold and windy. Roger telephoned his parents who were planning to drive up that day for the meet. He told them to stay home, that it was a bad day and he wouldn’t run fast. They came anyway, as did a small crowd.
The runners lined up, the gun went off and three minutes, fifty-nine seconds later, Roger crossed the finish line making him the first person to break the four-minute mile. Nineteen days later an Australian runner named John Landy did the same. A few months later, both Bannister and Landy were entered in a race in Canada.
Landy led the race all the way right into the final straightaway. But then he glanced over his shoulder to see how far behind Bannister was. That brief loss of momentum was all Bannister needed. He shot past Landy to win the race.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus called out to Peter to come to him across the water. Because Peter believed in Jesus, he stepped out of the boat onto the water. Peter found himself doing the impossible because he believed in Jesus. If Jesus believed Peter could walk on water, then Peter believed it as well.
As Peter walked across the water, he suddenly grew alarmed. For a brief moment, he took his eyes off Jesus and looked down at the turbulent water. That was his mistake. He doubted and he began to sink. It was the same mistake the runner made.
Our stories contain an important, practical message for all of us. It’s a two-fold message. First, is the importance of faith in our lives. We are a lot like Peter in today’s Gospel. Jesus has called us to be his followers. Trying to follow Jesus often feels like trying to walk on water. It sometimes feels impossible, but Jesus believes we can do it. So, like Peter, we should believe we can do it.
Second, is the importance of keeping our eyes on the goal. As Peter walked toward Jesus, he suddenly became alarmed at the high winds and the waves. He briefly took his eyes off Jesus. He began to focus on the impossibility of what he was doing. We, too, can be overcome by the difficulty of following Jesus in a world and society that is constantly tugging at us and giving us reasons why we cannot do this. We must stay focused on Jesus.
So, what do we do when our focus shifts and we begin to falter and sink? Like Peter, we cry out to Jesus for help. We ask Jesus to free us from the spiritual sinking that mirrors the physical sinking of Peter in our Gospel. When we turn to Jesus in prayer, Jesus will be reaching his hand out to us too. We must be careful, however, to reach in the right direction, which often is not in the direction in which we want to be pulled.
We pray for the grace to always focus on Jesus and believe in the gifts God gives us. We pray for the grace to cry for help when we falter, and we pray for the grace to reach for the hand of Jesus to pull us up so that we may share in the glory he promised.+
