First reading 1 John 4:11-18
As long as we love one another God’s love will be complete in us
My dear people,
since God has loved us so much,
we too should love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
but as long as we love one another
God will live in us
and his love will be complete in us.
We can know that we are living in him
and he is living in us
because he lets us share his Spirit.
We ourselves saw and we testify
that the Father sent his Son
as saviour of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in him, and he in God.
We ourselves have known and put our faith in
God’s love towards ourselves.
God is love
and anyone who lives in love lives in God,
and God lives in him.
Love will come to its perfection in us
when we can face the day of Judgement without fear;
because even in this world
we have become as he is.
In love there can be no fear,
but fear is driven out by perfect love:
because to fear is to expect punishment,
and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.
Responsorial Psalm 71(72):1-2,10-13
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
Gospel Mark 6:45-52
His disciples saw him walking on the lake
After the five thousand had eaten and were filled, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. After saying goodbye to them he went off into the hills to pray. When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. He could see they were worn out with rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by, but when they saw him walking on the lake they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they had all seen him and were terrified. But he at once spoke to them, and said, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind dropped. They were utterly and completely dumbfounded, because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.
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In love, there is no fear
In today’s first reading, St. John declares: “In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love”. We want to be free from fear, but sometimes it seems like a silent shadow accompanying us in our lives. We struggle with various fears, like fear of living a meaningless life, losing loved ones, failures, and the greatest of all fears is death. Jesus is the perfect love that God gives to us. With Him in our lives, He frees us from our fears and empowers us to live life fully.
Let us listen to the voice of Jesus as He tells us, “Courage! It’s me! Don’t be afraid!” Jesus is with us, and He gives us the courage we need to face our fears. Like the disciples, we might find ourselves battling against the storm that seems to be going against us, especially in these Covid times. Let us find assurance in His presence and allow His perfect love to guide us to walk on with peace.
Question for reflection:
What is Jesus’ message for me in this time of prayer?
What is Jesus’ message for me in this time of prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr. Sandra Seow FMVD.
