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Illustration: Jesus walking on Water, by Ivan Aivazovsky (1888)
Pope Leo’s Angelus Reflection for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Peter’s Square – Sunday, August 9, 2026
“You are truly the Son of God!”
Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them.
In the fourth watch of the night Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;
but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him,
“O man of little faith, why did you doubt?”And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Pope Leo’s Angelus Reflection,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the Gospel tells us the story of Jesus walking on water on the Sea of Galilee to meet his disciples in the midst of a storm.
Following the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus urges his disciples to get into their boat and go out onto the lake, while he himself goes up the mountain to pray.
However, far from the shore the disciples are at the mercy of the wind and struggle to make progress.
Having experienced success as participants in a miraculous event, they now stand helpless and terrified in the face of the threat posed by the waves and the wind.
At the end of the night, Jesus approaches them on the stormy water.
Terrified, they mistake him for a ghost.
But he says to them, ‘Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid!”
The presence of the Lord changes everything:
Peter is even able to walk on water towards Jesus, but then he becomes overwhelmed by fear, starts to drown and Jesus saves him.
When the Teacher gets into the boat, the storm stops and the disciples spontaneously confess their faith: ‘You are truly the Son of God!’
It was not enough for them to witness a miracle or succeed in the eyes of men to arrive at this confession.
They had to experience their own weakness and recognize God’s presence in it.
Only then could they truly open their eyes and hearts to His closeness and find peace, even in the midst of a storm.
One day, sometime later, Jesus will tell them, “If you have faith and do not doubt, even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ It will be done” (Matthew 21:21).
This is exactly what they experienced on the lake.
The peace of Christ, who had prayed on the mountain previously, reached them in the midst of the raging waters.
This miracle teaches us two important lessons
First, we should not exalt ourselves because of our successes or overestimate our own strength.
At the same time, we should not fall into despair, even in moments of darkness when we feel helpless in the face of problems despite our efforts.
In every situation, Jesus will not abandon us.
If we humbly welcome him into the boat of our lives– through prayer, the sacraments and listening to his word – we will find peace, light, and strength in him.
May Mary help us to live in this way, with trusting entrustment to God, she who has been called blessed for her faith (Luke 1:45 – “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”).
