ALWAYS LOVE. DO NOT FEAR!
Introduction
The weekdays of the Christmas-Epiphany season continue day after day to confront us with the person of Jesus. This child and our brother is God, and yet, this Son of God is fully human. This man Jesus manifests his divine power – in today’s gospel, by walking on the waters of the lake, with water a figure of death and the power of evil, which he overcame. His coming among people is God’s work of love; hence, the readings in this season are taken from John’s first letter, the core theme of which is love.
Both today’s readings bring out another contrast: love and fear. We have nothing to fear, not because we are without sin but because God loves us as we are, on account of Jesus. The apostles are still afraid, because they do not really know yet who Jesus is, the one who overcame evil and death, and therefore all fears.
1 Reading: 1 John 4:11-18
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. R.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. R.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save. R.
Alleluia (cf. 1 Timothy 3:16)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 6:45-52
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. hen it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
Commentary
Of the various difficulties present in modern society, one of the most prevalent is the fear of commitment. Engagement in an enterprise that will last a lifetime is very threatening. This is certainly true of marriage as well as other lifelong engagements. When the idea of lifetime commitment is presented, the response all too frequently is, “You mean, until I die?”
Our first reading today tells us that Christian love, when perfected, casts out all fear, and that includes the fear of failure as well. Today’s Gospel finds the apostles still weak in faith and thus frightened and uncomprehending. They had witnessed the miracle of the loaves but were still lacking in understanding. Jesus now appears to them walking on the sea, enters the boat, and allays their fears.
There is no denying that an atmosphere of fear is present in modern society. Antisocial behaviour is all too common. People are afraid to be on the street at night. Do we even know when, where and how the terrorists and kidnappers would strike? We teach our children at an early age to beware of strangers. The circumstances wherein we divulge a credit card number are very few, and never our Social Security number. The reasons for this are not unreasonable. Crime, unfortunately, is a fact of life today. Yet we cannot deny the fact that we are surrounded by many good and trustworthy people. There are times when we must step out in faith, even when the outcome is not certain. Where faith is strong, and accompanied by love, fear is cast out.
We must be clear. To give one’s fife for a worthy cause, as an act of love, banishes fear. The letter of John summarizes it well today. “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”
Blessing
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” That is what Jesus tells each of us facing many difficulties today. He is with us. May God give us strength and trust and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!