We find ourselves in the week after our celebration of the feast of Epiphany, and so our Gospel readings this week should be read in light of this feast in order that we might understand better its meaning and special message for us.

Our readings this week elucidate this theme by selecting Gospel passages which reveal Jesus not only as the Christ, but as Emmanuel, foretold by the prophets and foreshadowed in other Biblical writings.

For a Jewish reader, hearing that Jesus was seen walking on water would bring to mind passages from the Hebrew Scriptures in which God is portrayed as walking on the waters (Psalm 77:19; Job 9:8; Job 38:16; Is 43:16). The wording of other phrases in today's Gospel text also parallels scenes in the Hebrew Scriptures where God manifests Himself among human beings. The line in which Jesus declares, "It is I" is particularly significant, because this phrase was exclusively attributed to God (Ex 3:14; Dt 32:39; Is 41:4; Is 43:10.)

Mark emphasizes that the disciples, in spite of all the signs and the miracles He performed, were unable to comprehend who Jesus really was. Their hearts were 'hardened.' In this Epiphany season we are invited to renew our faith in Jesus, the incarnate Word, 'God made Man,' and present among us now as the resurrected Lord who speaks to each of us the words: "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."