Daily Catholic Lectio
Tue, 5 Aug ‘25
Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday
Our Lady of Snows, Opt. Memoria
Numbers 12:1–13. Matthew 14:22–36
Let Me Walk on the Waters Too!
We often say that the Church began with the Pentecost event—or perhaps slightly earlier, in that lakeside moment when Jesus asked Peter: “Do you love me?” But if we look closely at today’s Gospel scene, we might see that the Church also begins here—when Peter, caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, grasps the hand of Jesus.
Jesus walks on the water toward the boat where His disciples are. Peter, moved by bold love, cries out: “Lord, if it is really You, command me to come to You on the water!” Jesus simply says, “Come!” This is the second time Peter hears Jesus say “Come.” The first was by the shore of this very sea when He said, “Follow Me.” Now, again, Jesus invites Peter to walk—to trust.
Peter begins to walk on water. But the moment his eyes turn from Jesus to the wind and waves, fear overtakes him, and he begins to sink. Strikingly, Peter is a professional fisherman—he knows the sea, the tides, how to swim. And yet, he chooses not to depend on his own ability. Instead, he lets himself sink—so that the power of Christ may be made perfect in his weakness.
Jesus asks: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When Peter looked at Jesus, he walked. When he focused on the waves, he feared. In times of turbulence, Christ brings peace. And faith is the journey of walking through the storm toward that peace.
In the first reading, we hear of a very human weakness—jealousy. Aaron and Miriam grumble against Moses. Their complaint is not about leadership decisions, but about a deeper resentment, perhaps rooted in sibling rivalry. God rebukes them and makes clear the unique intimacy He shares with Moses. Miriam is struck with leprosy—but Aaron is spared.
Today we also celebrate the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, also known as the feast of Our Lady of the Snows. It commemorates the oldest church in the West dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be Theotokos—Mother of God. Following this, Pope Sixtus III commissioned a basilica in her honour in Rome.
According to a beautiful tradition, in the hot Roman summer of 352 AD, a wealthy and childless couple, John and his wife, prayed to Mary for a child. They promised to build a church in her honour if their request was granted. That night, Our Lady appeared in a dream and told them where to build it: she would mark the place with snow. Indeed, snow miraculously fell on the Esquiline Hill in the middle of August. There they built the basilica—Santa Maria Maggiore.
The hill where Mary is enthroned reminds us of a faith that does not melt away.
Peter’s bold cry—“Let me walk to You on the waters!”—is also ours today. When doubts cloud our eyes, may we lift our gaze once more to Christ. Like Peter, may we not rely on our own strengths, but cry out: “Lord, save me!”—and reach out for the hand that never lets go.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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