Do Not Be Afraid

 

"Do not be afraid." Mark 6:50

"Perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18

As is usually the case, the first reading points out a theme in the gospel reading of the day to emphasize it. Today's gospel is from Mark 6 and tells the story of the disciples being sent off to Bethsaida by Jesus while He goes off to pray by Himself. Jesus from afar, sees the disciples being tossed on a boat by a storm. It is still dark, and when Jesus walks on water toward them, they become afraid. These strong husky fishermen cried out in terror at seeing a "ghost"!

"Get a hold of yourselves!" Jesus says, "It is I. Do not be afraid."

In 1 John 4:11-18, the writer tells us that God is love and in love, there is no room for fear. It is good to examine ourselves and see if we have any fear or doubt that we need to root out. Fear of what the future holds, fear of death, fear of losing someone or something, doubts about our capabilities at work or as a mother. Perhaps we can never fully rid ourselves of some fears, and some are really absurd (like my fear of butterflies!), but we can follow John the Apostle. John in his gospel confessed 6 times that he was the apostle Jesus loved. It is not mentioned in any other gospel, but John knew Christ's love for him was real.

We too can know with certainty that God loves us and wants the best for us. All we need to do is read the Bible, which to me, are His love letters to us. We can feed on it, and make it a part of us. The prophet Jeremiah said, "When Your words came, I ate them. they were my joy and my heart's delight."