8 January 2020
Wednesday after Epiphany
“…but perfect love drives out fear.” (1 Jn 4:18)
John gives us another clear criterion for discernment today, which we see is so important for the Christian life from the disciples in today’s Gospel. The manifestation of divine love in Jesus is given so that God might remain in us and we in Him. Yet, sometimes we allow other things in life to seem more important than God’s love. This can happen especially when faced with challenges and trials. We might think that some of our sins are too great for God to forgive. We might consider some of our sufferings too intense for God to accompany us through or alleviate. There are a host of concerns in this world that we allow to limit love, rather than allowing love to dispel our fears.
The disciples, who not only just saw the miracle of the feeding of the thousands, but participated in it, are nevertheless filled with fear in today’s Gospel. The tossing of the waves in the storm so shakes their minds and hearts that they do not recognize Jesus coming to them. In the midst of their need, they allow fear to distort even their perception of the God who loves them, thinking that He is a ghost and only becoming more frightened. Yet, as for them, so, too, for us, God’s love is not to be repelled by our fears. Jesus enters the boat with them, and quiets the storm without and the terror within. God continues to insist on manifesting His loving Presence to the disciples, even when they had allowed the obstacle of fear to get in the way.
Today, let us ask the Lord to show us our fears for what they are, and to show us how His Love, Jesus Christ come in the flesh, is closer than anything we fear. May the light of God continue to purify our minds so that we may welcome His Love more and more into our lives.