First Reading - 1 John 4:11-18
Gospel - Mark 6:45-52
Fear is one of the strongest forces in human life. It can paralyze, isolate, and convince us that we are alone in the struggle. Many people live with quiet fears—fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of losing control, fear of what lies ahead. Today’s readings speak directly to that inner storm and offer a truth that is both challenging and freeing: perfect love casts out fear.
The First Reading from 1 John begins with a simple but demanding logic. If God has loved us so completely, then that love must continue its journey through us. Love is not meant to stop with reception; it finds fulfillment when it is shared. John makes a bold claim: where love is mature, fear loses its grip. Fear, he says, has to do with punishment, with anxiety about not being enough. Love, by contrast, grounds us in confidence—not arrogance, but trust. When we live in love, we live in God, and God lives in us.
This is not sentimental language. It is deeply practical. Many fears are rooted in self-protection. We fear being exposed, hurt, or overwhelmed. Love asks us to move outward anyway—to trust, to remain open, to risk compassion. And that risk feels dangerous unless we truly believe that God abides with us.
The Gospel from Mark gives us a vivid image of this struggle. The disciples are in a boat, battered by wind, straining against the sea. Jesus is not with them in the boat, and fear grows quickly. When they finally see him approaching, walking on the water, fear intensifies rather than eases. They mistake help for threat. This is deeply human. When we are afraid, even God’s presence can feel unsettling.
Jesus’ words cut through the storm with quiet authority: take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. Fear subsides not because the wind immediately stops, but because presence is restored. When Jesus enters the boat, calm follows. The lesson is clear. Peace does not come from the absence of storms, but from knowing who is with us in the storm.
Dear friends, fear thrives when we believe we are alone. Love grows when we trust that God abides with us and within us. The disciples struggle not because they lack effort or skill, but because they have not yet fully learned to trust presence over control. Likewise, our own fears often rise when we forget that God is already near.
Many people are striving hard, rowing against strong winds, exhausted by responsibility and uncertainty. The Gospel does not shame that effort. It meets it with reassurance. God sees the struggle. God comes toward us, sometimes in ways we do not immediately recognize.
The invitation today is not to eliminate fear by force, but to allow love to grow deeper than fear. That growth takes time. It requires remaining open, choosing love again and again, even when anxiety whispers that it is safer to withdraw.
When we allow God’s love to dwell in us, courage slowly replaces fear. Trust begins to outweigh control. And even when storms continue, they no longer define us.
Perfect love does not mean a perfect life. It means a life anchored in God’s abiding presence. And when we live from that place, we discover that fear no longer has the final word.
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