To the amazement of his friends, Peter climbed over the side of the boat. Before his feet even touched the water, he knew that it was really Jesus out there waiting for him.    Afterwards he was never able to describe what it was like to walk on water, and he needed the other disciples to confirm for him that it really had happened. He remembered a strange sensation of euphoria, a little bit like the first time his father, John, had taken him with him out onto the open water.

Jesus was not moving. Was he close? Was he far away?  It was impossible to tell. It was as if the distance between him and the Lord varied according to the thoughts and feelings in his heart. And just when Simon started to feel proud of what he was doing, a gust of wind blew in between him and Jesus, and somehow in that moment he lost sight of the Master. Far from the boat, without Jesus in view, he suddenly found himself suspended above the restless lake. The only thing he could do was sink. And in fact, he felt himself plunge down, not only into the water, but also into the dark thoughts and doubts that had    tormented him all night long.  His anguish was complete: he realized that he was    sinking not out of weakness but out of pride and that death would not seal his powerlessness but his rebellion.

At that very moment, he saw Jesus looking at him.  It was a look that forgave everything, and Peter reached out for it with a cry that seemed to come from his inmost depths: “Lord, save me!” (Mt 14:30). At that same instant, a hand was grasping his own, firm and warm like a sunny shore.