19th Sunday. With just a little faith...

Parents, you are amazing. Each day you wake up and walk into the chaos of life with those special little somethings. Each day you walk into life and make choices, with little preparation, with those kids that are inherently bipolar: angels in one moment, in another, even Satan would be scared of them. Again, there is little prep; there is no easy app for parenting. I will repeat again, I do not mind noisy kids in mass; noisy adults I do, you all know better, but kids…please bring them and have them here. Parents thank you for bringing them and for having the courage and faith to be parents.

Recently a friend asked me about depression. He asked me to describe what it is like. I could only give my experience: it is like a fog. It is being so overwhelmed by everything and feeling everything, and lacking the ability to take a step forward, to make a choice. There is no movement, only stagnation. It takes a lot of energy to be able to make a choice, to take a step. Earlier this week I was listening to a report on those who are perfectionists. Turns out that they are usually the worst procrastinators. Procrastination was not because of laziness, but rather the perfectionist can become so fearful of making the wrong choice and failing that they cannot take the first step. Fascinating isn’t it.

People will talk to me about their lives. They recognize something is wrong: they sense an anger towards someone; they see themselves doing things that they know are wrong and have some guilt; they struggle in relationships with others, even spouses and children, parents. Often they know what they are supposed to do to be healed or to heal….yet, taking that first step proves so difficult. Change, even for the better, still can be scary.

Think about a time or moment we took a risk. Maybe it was the first time we asked someone out on a date? Or even asked another to get married? Maybe it was a change of careers? Considering a religious vocation? Maybe starting over after a heartbreak, or after the death of someone we loved?

What inspired us? Who inspired us?

Peter was a brave man and Peter had just a little faith. He, despite the boat being rocked about, despite seeing his friend, his teacher doing something unthinkable, took the courage to follow Jesus. Peter walked on water. With just that initial little faith, Peter did something amazing. Jesus said with just a little faith we can move mountains.

We can forget that. We can forget that Peter walked on water. We maybe focus too much on his sinking.

Peter took that risk because his focus was on Jesus, on his teacher; on something that was not the chaos of the storm, not on how he could be hurt..he kept his eyes and heart on the good. Only when he lost sight of that that did he sink, but Jesus was there to help him up.

I would be willing to be that many of us here have decisions, choices to make. Decisions that involve taking a real risk. Decision to trust someone again. A decision to forgive. A decision to surrender our goals, our ways of doing things, and follow another path. A decision to also break off relationships, ones that are toxic. Decisions to give of ourselves. Decision to watch children leave for school. Decision to be a parent.

People can become so fearful of even taking the first step. Yet, that is all that God asks of us; take one step forward and see. It just takes a little faith. Jesus said with the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains; Peter walked on water….what can we do? Imagine what we can do with just a little faith.

Yet, there is the fear.

Jesus faced his fears.That garden scene on the night of his arrest: he knew what was coming, he was scared; he prayed to understand what to do. Jesus trusted in God’s love for him and for all, and so he got up and walked to his accusers.

God’s love is for us always. That is the seed of faith. There is no choice, no mistake, no false start, no sin that will keep God’s love from us. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, is the “proof” of this. We give thanks for this each and every Eucharist.

This little faith is our strength to walk into each day and live.

It is the strength of parents. It is the strength of religious women and men. It is the strength of those who strive to bring peace into the world. It is the strength of those who get up, and despite the harsh words of others or the peer pressure of others, they choose life, they choose compassion, mercy, generosity, kindness…to choose love.

We may only get one or two steps in the right direction, but really those can make all the difference. And Jesus will be right there, ready to pull us up.