January 5,
2005 -
Wednesday after
Epiphany
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.
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.
First
Reading: 1
Jn 4:11-18
Dear friends, if such has been the love of God, we, too, must love
one another.
No
one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in
us, and his love comes to its perfection in us.
How
may we know that we live in God and he in us? Because God has given
us his Spirit.
We
ourselves have seen and declare that the Father sent his Son to
save the world. Those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in them and they in God.
We
have known the love of God and have believed in it. God is love.
The one who lives in love, lives in God and God in him.
When
do we know that we have reached a perfect love? When in this world,
we are like him in everything, and expect with confidence the Day
of Judgment.
There
is no fear in love. Perfect love drives away fear, for fear has
to do with punishment; those who fear do not know perfect love.
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalms 72:1-4, 7-8
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Give
the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's
son.
May
he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
May
the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in
righteousness.
May
he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance
to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
In
his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the
moon is no more.
May
he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends
of the earth.
Gospel
Reading: Mk
6:45-52
After the five thousand men were satiated, Jesus obliged his disciples
to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, towards
Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. And having sent
the people off, he went by himself to the hillside to pray.
When
evening came, the boat was far out on the lake while he was alone
on the land. Jesus saw his disciples straining at the oars, for
the wind was against them, and before daybreak he came to them walking
on the lake; and he was going to pass them by.
When
they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and
cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But at once
he called to them, "Courage! It's me; don't be afraid."
Then Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They
were completely astonished, for they had not really grasped the
fact of the loaves; their minds were dull.
Commentary
JESUS
sends his disciples away and goes to pray. And even as he prays
he is aware of his friends in danger and he goes to them-walking
on the water. "Courage! It's me; don't be afraid."
And he gets into the boat with them. These words should begin
our every day as we face the unknown, the unexpected and the
frightening as well as epiphanies of God.
The last line describes all of us who are disciples as having
'dull minds', minds slow to see, to understand and penetrate
the mysteries of Jesus' actions and words. Do we grasp the wonder
of the loaves-that we can feed everyone from our resources if
we share? Do we realize that to live aware of others' needs
is at least as marvelous as walking on water?
– 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:
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.
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.
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” That is what Jesus tells
each of us when we are facing difficulties. He is swith us. May
God give us strength and trust and bless us, the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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