Wednesday after Epiphany
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
St. Dominic Priory, NOLA
The disciples are terrified. High winds on the sea. Jesus walking towards them on the water. Mark tells us that the Lord “at once” says, “Take courage, it is I. . .” Literally, “I AM.” Jesus reminds his students who he is and thus why they should not fear. But why should I AM still their fear? John tells us, “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” The disciples' fear is a sign of their forgetfulness. They have forgotten who God is, who Jesus is. “There is no fear in love [. . .] one who fears is not yet perfect in love.” This sounds like a bad thing. It's not a exactly good thing. But it's not entirely bad either. They (and we) are not yet perfect in love. Which means perfection in love is possible. . .if only we remember and take courage from the memory. Their forgetfulness (and ours?) results from hardheartedness – a refusal to believe and thus a refusal to understand. In this case, they did not understand the love manifested in the incident of the loaves. God's love is diffusive. God is love. Therefore, God is diffusive. God is with them (and us) always. When we believe this truth, we understand it, and He is perfected in us. When God is perfected in us there is no room left for fear. So, believe, understand, and be made perfect as God Himself is perfect.
Follow HancAquam or Subscribe ----->
No comments:
Post a Comment