Wednesday After Epiphany
Love and Fear
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
The weekdays of the Christmas-Epiphany season continue day after day to confront us with the person of Jesus. This child and our brother is God, and yet, this Son of God is fully human. This man Jesus manifests his divine power – in today’s gospel, by walking on the waters of the lake, with water a figure of death and the power of evil, which he overcame. His coming among people is God’s work of love; hence, the readings in this season are taken from John’s first letter, the core theme of which is love.
Both today’s readings bring out another contrast: love and fear. We have nothing to fear, not because we are without sin but because God loves us as we are, on account of Jesus. The apostles are still afraid, because they do not really know yet who Jesus is, the one who overcame evil and death, and therefore all fears.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, loving Father,
fear runs in our blood.
We are often afraid of facing the future,
of committing ourselves to one another,
even of trusting ourselves, our emotions,
and the forces slumbering within us.
Convince us that there is nothing to fear
and that you love us as we are,
for you are our Father
and you have given us your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (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.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith and love may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For those who doubt their faith and are afraid of facing the future, that God may give them courage and that we may refresh their hope, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that we may all grow together in trusting faith in Jesus our Lord, and that his love may move us to live for one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
in this bread and this wine
we place all our trust in you.
Give us your Son to brave with us
the waves and the storms of life.
We are sure that with him we are capable of more
than we dare imagine or hope for.
Help us to grow day after day in trusting faith in you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
you have shown us your power and love
in Jesus Christ, your Son
and the Son of Mary, one of ours.
In him you have given us a sample
of what we and the world could become
if we took the risk of entrusting ourselves to him
and of living as he lived.
God, let your Son stay with us,
that we may become like him
and that no fear may mar our trust and love,
for we know that you love us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” That is what Jesus tells each of us when we are facing difficulties. He is with us. May God give us strength and trust and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Fear vs Love
In the incident narrated in today’s gospel, apostle John would have been present. All the disciples were cowering in fear in the middle of a storm in the sea. However, much later, the same John would write—as we read in today’s first reading—about fearlessness. Between these two accounts, something happened: John experienced perfect love. Perfect love casts out fear. How and when? When we realize that we have been loved by a love that we had never known ever existed.
John experienced it: The disciples were out in the sea, Jesus was in prayer on the land. How could he see them straining at the oar if they were so far out in the sea at night? Love sees everything and reaches out every time. Fear dies when such love meets us. Rather, fear dies the moment we become aware of such love being present and watching over us, even when we may not feel it right away.
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Mark 6:45-52
The Boat of the Church in the Storm
In today’s Gospel, Jesus walks on water towards his disciples, who are struggling against the wind and waves in a boat. This powerful scene invites us to reflect on the trials of the Church and our personal lives, where we often feel tossed about by turbulence and fear.
The boat symbolises the Church navigating the often-hostile seas of the world. From scandals and persecutions to hatred and division, the Church is not immune to storms. Yet, the Gospel reminds us that the boat of the Church cannot sink because Jesus is always present, even if unseen. His reassuring words, “It is I, do not be afraid,” echo through every era, bringing hope to believers facing darkness and despair.
Mark’s account holds rich symbolism. Written for early Christians under persecution in Rome, the imagery of Jesus walking on water—mastering the sea, the abode of evil in biblical thought—proclaims Christ’s victory over all forces of darkness. The storm may rage, but the Church remains secure under his protection.
The sequence of events provides a deeper spiritual meaning. After feeding the multitude, Jesus retreats to the mountain while the disciples are sent onto the sea without him. This reflects the Church’s mission after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Though no longer physically present, Jesus equips his disciples through the Eucharist and remains spiritually with them, even in life’s fiercest storms.
When scandals, daily struggles, or personal failures threaten to overwhelm us, we too must look for Christ walking towards us, speaking words of peace and courage. His presence assures us that no storm, no wave, no darkness can separate us from his love. Let us trust that the boat of our faith, though battered, will never sink, for Christ is always with us. “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”
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1 John 4:11-18
Love That Casts Out Fear
God’s love in Christ not only consoles but also commissions the Church; in these verses, John shows that the love revealed on the cross becomes the inner form of Christian life, casting out fear and sending believers toward one another in charity.
“If God so loved us, we also must love one another” (v.11) roots fraternal charity in the prior, gratuitous love of God who sent his Son as expiation for our sins. This love is not optional sentiment but a Eucharistic mandate: those who receive the self-giving of Christ are bound to mirror it in concrete mercy, even toward enemies.
“No one has ever seen God; yet, if we love one another, God remains in us” (v.12) teaches that the Church becomes the sacramental “visibility” of the unseen God through authentic charity. In the liturgy, the assembly’s mutual love is thus part of the epiphany of God’s presence, confirming the word proclaimed and the Body shared on the altar.
Verses 13–16 link the indwelling of the Spirit, the confession of Jesus as Son of God, and the practice of love as one unified mystery of communion. To “remain in love” is to remain in God; participation in the sacraments nourishes this abiding, so that faith in Christ becomes a lived habit of self-gift. John concludes that “perfect love drives out fear,” especially servile fear of judgment, because the believer is already conformed to Christ’s self-giving in this world (vv.17–18).
In the liturgy, this word invites the faithful to move from anxious religiosity to filial confidence, letting divine charity heal fear and overflow into concrete love of neighbour.