- Asked why they train so rigorously, a Navy SEAL first quipped that when the pressure is on they rise to the occasion is a myth. In actuality, when the pressure is on we fall back to the level of our training. Hence, the essential reason to train hard – very hard!
- The Gospel drama of Jesus majestically striding over the whipping waves and permitting Peter to climb out of the boat and coming to Him is a training exercise (Matthew 14:22-33). In the throes of catastrophe (read: high pressure), the disciples must learn to believe in the reality of Jesus based solely on His words, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (v. 27). When Peter climbs out of the boat he backslides to fear and begins to sink. Jesus must admonish Peter for reverting to thoughts about his own ability and inability instead of progressing steadily toward Jesus out of the faith he was given.
- In the First Reading, the prophet Elijah receives training in the same faith (1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a). Promised an encounter with divine splendor, the same sort of powerful storm on the lake experienced by the disciples is unleashed along with an earthquake and fire – these are not God’s actual presence. Only when the “a light silent sound” comes does Elijah know he must bury his face in his cloak (v. 12).
