Thoughts and Prayer - Fr. Micah - Augutst 10, 2025

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ walks on water to approach the boat where the apostles are being tossed by a storm, afraid. Christ says, “Take heart, it is I.” Peter asks Christ to call him out onto the water. Christ calls him, and he begins to walk toward him on the water. However, when he sees the wind, he becomes afraid and begins to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me.” Christ pulls him out of the water, asking him why he doubted. He brings him back to the boat, and the apostles gather around to worship him.Fr. Micah explains that, in the sayings of the Desert Fathers, the wind is a metaphor for our thoughts. If you’re walking on water, you shouldn’t be worried about the wind, but the waves. However, just as Peter was afraid of the wind, we become overwhelmed with our thoughts, worrying about things that aren’t real.When we are overwhelmed with these troublesome thoughts, Fr. Micah says, we can pray. Our prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple “Lord, have mercy” or “Lord, save me,” repeated often, can transform our minds. We must also recognize that, though we may not be able to stop thoughts from coming up, we can fill our hearts and minds with good things, giving the dark thought no place to rest. Fr. Micah encourages us to pray often and attend church as much as possible, as this will fill our hearts and minds with beauty, truth, and gratitude.