The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today identify fear in our community groups as a state that is diminished through Love.
Love to conquer fear
The reading from the First Letter of John shares the role of God’s Love in the Christian Life.
* [4:13–21] The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God’s love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment (1 Jn 4:16–18). What Christ is gives us confidence, even as we live and love in this world. Yet Christian love is not abstract but lived in the concrete manner of love for one another.1
Psalm 72 is a prayer for guidance and support for the King.
* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.2
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus walks on the water.
* [6:50] It is I, do not be afraid!: literally, “I am.” This may reflect the divine revelatory formula of Ex 3:14; Is 41:4, 10, 14; 43:1–3, 10, 13. Mark implies the hidden identity of Jesus as Son of God.3
Beth Samson comments that the experience of many migrants, immigrants, and refugees is reflected in the story of the Holy Family – displaced from their home, on the move, and looking for a safe place to stay. Mary and Joseph were not welcomed warmly in the new land, instead found shelter in a barn, certainly not ideal to welcome a baby into the world. There are countless examples where migrants are considered a threat. The first reading today might encourage us to react in a different way. The National Shrine of St. John Neumann offers this prayer.
Don Schwager quotes “The wind was against them,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).
"Meanwhile the boat carrying the disciples - that is, the church - is rocking and shaking amid the storms of temptation, while the adverse wind rages on. That is to say, its enemy the devil strives to keep the wind from calming down. But greater is he who is persistent on our behalf, for amid the vicissitudes of our life he gives us confidence. He comes to us and strengthens us, so we are not jostled in the boat and tossed overboard. For although the boat is thrown into disorder, it is still a boat. It alone carries the disciples and receives Christ. It is in danger indeed on the water, but there would be certain death without it. Therefore stay inside the boat and call upon God. When all good advice fails and the rudder is useless and the spread of the sails presents more of a danger than an advantage, when all human help and strength have been abandoned, the only recourse left for the sailors is to cry out to God. Therefore will he who helps those who are sailing to reach port safely, abandon his church and prevent it from arriving in peace and tranquility?" (excerpt from SERMON 75.4)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:45-52 comments that like the disciples, sometimes we feel tossed about and vulnerable. We might feel stuck, as if we can’t make any headway against forces stronger than we are. In these moments, we may wonder if God knows or cares about our situation. But today’s passage assures us that Jesus sees and Jesus cares. We are never too far off, never outside the Lord’s sight, never beyond the reach of his love. Just as Jesus saw the disciples from afar, he sees our struggles and the forces that harass us. And he comes to us and reminds us, “It is I.”
Today Jesus wants to be close to you. He wants to enter your “boat” and bring peace to your heart. Just as he revealed himself as Lord over the wind and waves, he wants to remind you that he is the powerful I AM. He sees you, he loves you, and he is interceding for you right now. He can—and will—help you with anything that you face today. He will join you in your troubles and give you strength and hope. “Take courage,” he says, “it is I” (Mark 6:50). “Be near me, Lord Jesus. Calm the winds about me.”6
Friar Jude Winkler emphasizes the need for us to to accept and live God’s Love. The sin against the Spirit is to deny the power of the Love of God. Friar Jude reminds us of the connection of the theophany of the disciples on the lake to Moses and Psalm 23.
The Franciscan Media article on Saint John Neumann notes that he was well known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching. On October 13, 1963, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia.
Neumann took seriously our Lord’s words, “Go and teach all nations.” From Christ he received his instructions and the power to carry them out. For Christ does not give a mission without supplying the means to accomplish it. The Father’s gift in Christ to John Neumann was his exceptional organizing ability, which he used to spread the Good News. Today the Church is in dire need of men and women to continue in our times the teaching of the Good News. The obstacles and inconveniences are real and costly. Yet when Christians approach Christ, he supplies the necessary talents to answer today’s needs. The Spirit of Christ continues his work through the instrumentality of generous Christians.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, emphasizes that to live the gospel, we need each other. There is no other form for the Christian life except a common one. This may even be a matter of culture, if culture refers to something which is shared and passed on. In this sense, he is wondering if there is any other kind of Christianity except “cultural Christianity,” for better and for worse. Until and unless Christ is someone happening between people, the gospel remains largely an abstraction. Until Jesus Christ is passed on personally through faithfulness and forgiveness, through bonds of union, he doubts whether he is passed on at all.
For Jesus, such teachings as forgiveness, healing, and justice are not just a spiritual test or obstacle course. They are quite simply the necessary requirements for a basic shared life. Peacemaking and reconciliation are not some kind of box seat tickets to heaven. They are the price of peoplehood. They express the truth in the heart of God, the truth that has been shared with us in the Holy Spirit, the union in Jesus the Christ who is reconciling all people to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:18–19).8
The teaching of the Christian faith aids our openness to the Spirit, prompting us to act in love as a community for people in need.
References
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