Reading 1
1 Jn 4:11-18
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 11)
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Gospel
Mk 6:45-52
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
Meditation: Mark 6:45-52
“He meant to pass by them.” (Mark 6:48)
Why would Jesus just walk past his disciples? He’s the one who told them to get into the boat in the first place. He’s also the one who interrupted his prayer and strode toward them across the wave-tossed water they were struggling in. Did he do all of that just so that he could pass them by?
Not at all. Our God is not one to ignore distress or suffering. He is not one to pass by indifferently when we are in tough situations. No, he wants to be with us, and he wants us to be with him always. Remember: He created us to live in a relationship of love with him.
Moses, whom God called his “intimate friend,” once asked God to show him his glory. God agreed and allowed Moses to stand in the presence of “all his beauty” and to hear God pronounce his name as he passed by (Exodus 33:17,19). That scene was dramatic enough, but in Christ, God does us one better! Though God passed by Moses, now he climbs into the boat with us!
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been restored to friendship with God. As he promised the disciples, he now promises us: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). He will never pass us by or leave us with nothing but a memory of his mercy and favor. He will never leave us with just the fading echo of his voice.
No. Through the Holy Spirit, our God dwells in the very center of our hearts. He wants us to enter into an uplifting, panic-calming, fear-relieving relationship with him. He wants us to know that his love and his mercy are meant for us. They are meant for us when waves of fear or discouragement, anger or sorrow threaten to swamp us. They are meant for us when the sun is shining and joy fills our hearts. They are meant for us all the time. God wants to get into our boat so that he can assure us that he is Lord of all—including the storms—and that he is always with us!
“Jesus, climb into the boat with me today! I want to know the peace and calm that you bring. I want to see your beauty and hear your voice. I want to be your friend and know the comfort of your love.”
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