Wednesday January 9, 2019
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.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, loving Father,
fear runs in our blood.
We are often afraid of facing the future,
of committing ourselves to one another,
even of trusting ourselves, our emotions,
and the forces slumbering within us.
Convince us that there is nothing to fear
and that you love us as we are,
for you are our Father
and you have given us your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: 1 Jn 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 savior 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. (see 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. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
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. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Alleluia See 1 Tm 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: Mk 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.
When 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.
Intercessions
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith and love may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For those who doubt their faith and are afraid of facing the future, that God may give them courage and that we may refresh their hope, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that we may all grow together in trusting faith in Jesus our Lord, and that his love may move us to live for one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
in this bread and this wine
we place all our trust in you.
Give us your Son to brave with us
the waves and the storms of life.
We are sure that with him we are capable of more
than we dare imagine or hope for.
Help us to grow day after day in trusting faith in you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
you have shown us your power and love
in Jesus Christ, your Son
and the Son of Mary, one of ours.
In him you have given us a sample
of what we and the world could become
if we took the risk of entrusting ourselves to him
and of living as he lived.
God, let your Son stay with us,
that we may become like him
and that no fear may mar our trust and love,
for we know that you love us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” That is what Jesus tells each of us when we are facing difficulties. He is with us. May God give us strength and trust and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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 cer¬tainly 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 mira¬cle of the loaves but were still lacking in understanding. Jesus now appears to them walking on the water of the lake, enters the boat, and allays their fears.
There is no denying that an atmosphere of fear is present in modern society. Antisocial behavior is all too common. People are afraid to be on the street at night. 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.”
Points to Ponder
Weak faith and fear
Strong love and courage
The witness of a lasting marriage.
