Or January 9
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Jn 4:11-12 735; 1 Jn 4:14 457
Mk 6:46 2602
Back to Deacon’s Bench'08
Back to Deacon's Bench '09
Back to Servant of the Word '10
Back to SOW II '11
Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '14
Back to SOW II '15
Back to SOW II '16
Back to SOW II '19
Back to SOW II '20
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.
Responsorial Psalm
72:1-2, 10, 12-13
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.
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.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 John 4:11 – 18
My dear people,
since God has loved us so much,
we too should love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
but as long as we love one another
God will live in us
and his love will be complete in us.
We can know that we are living in him
and he is living in us
because he lets us share his Spirit.
We ourselves saw and we testify
that the Father sent his Son
as savior of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in him, and he in God.
We ourselves have known and put our faith in
God’s love towards ourselves.
God is love
and anyone who lives in love lives in God,
and God lives in him.
Love will come to its perfection in us
when we can face the day of Judgment without fear;
because even in this world
we have become as he is.
In love there can be no fear,
but fear is driven out by perfect love:
because to fear is to expect punishment,
and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 71(72):1-2,10-13
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
Gospel Mark 6:45 - 52
Directly after this Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. After saying good-bye to them he went off into the hills to pray. When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. He could see they were worn out with rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by, but when they saw him walking on the lake they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they had all seen him and were terrified. But he at once spoke to them, and said, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind dropped. They were utterly and completely dumbfounded, because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday After Epiphany
From: 1 John 4:11-18
God is Love. Brotherly Love, the Mark of Christians (Continuation)
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[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
[13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. [16] So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [17] In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.
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Commentary:
11-12. The Apostle underlines here the theological basis of brotherly love: the love which God has shown us by the incarnation and redemptive death of his Son, places us in his debt: we have to respond in kind; so we "ought" to love our neighbor with the kind of gratitude and disinterest that God showed by taking the initiative in loving us.
Moreover, by loving one another we are in communion with God. The deepest desire of the human heart, which is to see and to possess God, cannot be satisfied in this life, because "no man has ever seen God" (v. 12); our neighbor, on the other hand, we do see. So, in this life, the way to be in communion with God is by brotherly love. "Love of God is the first thing in the order of commands", St Augustine explains, "and love of neighbor is the first thing in the order of practice [...]. You, who do not yet see God, will, by loving your neighbor, merit to see him. Love of neighbor cleanses our eyes to see God, as John clearly says, If you do not love your neighbor, whom you see, how can you love God, whom you do not see (cf. I Jn 4:20)" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 17, 8).
13. Having the gift of the Holy Spirit is the sure sign of being in communion with God. Since the Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and of the Son, his presence in the soul in grace is necessarily something dynamic, that is, it moves the person to keep all the commandments (cf. 3:24), particularly that of brotherly love. This interior impulse shows that the third Person of the Blessed Trinity is at work within us; it is a sign of union with God.
The Holy Spirit's action on the soul is a marvellous and deep mystery ."This breathing of the Holy Spirit in the soul," says St John of the Cross, "whereby; God transforms it into himself, is so sublime and delicate and profound a delight to it that it cannot be described by mortal tongue, nor can human understanding, as such, attain to any conception of it" ("Spiritual Canticle", stanza 39).
14-15. Once more (cf. v. 1:4) St John vividly reminds his readers that he, and the other Apostles have seen with their own eyes the Son of God, made man out of love for us. They were eyewitnesses of his redemptive life and death. And in the Son, sent by the Father as Savior of the world, the unfathomable mystery of God is revealed -- that his very being is Love.
"It is 'God, who is rich in mercy' (Eph 2:4) whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is his very Son who, in himself, has manifested him and made' him known to us (cf. Jn 1:18; Heb 1:1)" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia, 1).
16. "Knowing" and "believing" are not theoretical knowledge but intimate, experienced attachment (cf. notes on 2:3-6; 4:1-6; Jn 6:69; 17:8). Therefore, when St John says that they knew and believed "the love God has for us" he is not refer- ring to an abstract truth but to the historical fact of the incarnation and death of Christ (v. 14), the supreme manifestation of the Father's love.
"He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him": St Thomas Aquinas explains "that in some way the loved one is to be found in the lover. And so, he who loves God in some way possesses him, as St John says (1 Jn 4:16) [...]. Also, it is a property of love that the lover becomes transformed into the loved one; so, if we love vile and perishable things, we become vile and perishable, like those who 'became detestable like the things they loved" (Hos 9:10). Whereas, if we love God, we are made divine, for the Apostle says, 'He who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him' (1 Cor 6:17)" ("In duo praecepta, prol.", 3).
17-18. The perfection of charity shows itself in serene confidence in God and consequent absence of fear. Love is perfected "in us", as a gratuitous gift from God, but it can also be said that it grows with us, thanks to our free response to grace.
Confidence for the day of judgment (cc. also the note on 2:28) is something we should have also in this life; a basis for it is to be found in the daring statement, "...because as he is so are we in this world". This is not just a reference to imitating Christ's virtues or qualities: it means the profound identification with Christ which the Christian should attain: "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20).
The fear which is incompatible with charity is servile fear, which sees God only as one who punishes those who transgress his commandments. But filial fear, which is compatible with charity, is what gives a Christian a deep horror of sin because it is something which cuts him off from the love of God his Father. In the early stages of the Christian life, fear of God is very helpful (cf., e.g., Ps 111: 10; Sir 1:27): the Council of Trent teaches that sinners "by turning from a salutary fear of divine justice to a consideration of God's mercy, are encouraged to hope, confident that God will be well-disposed to them for Christ's sake" ("De iustificatione", 6).
18. "The solution is to love", Monsignor Escriva says. "St John the Apostle wrote some words which really move me: 'qui autem timet, non est perfectus in caritate. 'I like to translate them as follows, almost word for word: the fearful man doesn't know how to love. You, therefore, who do love and know how to show it, you mustn't be afraid of anything. So, on you go!" ("The Forge", 260).
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From: Mark 6:45-52
Jesus Walks on Water
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[45] Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. [46] And after he had taken leave of them, he went into the hills to pray. [47] And when evening came the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. [48] And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; [50] for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." [51] And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, [52] for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
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Commentary:
48. The Romans divided the night into four parts or watches, whose length varied depending on the season. St Mark (13:35) gives the popular names for these watches: evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning. Therefore, it is towards dawn that Jesus comes to the disciples.
He wishes to teach us that even when we are in very pressurized and difficult situations, he is nearby, ready to help us; but he expects us to make an effort, to strengthen our hope and temper our resolve (cf. note on Mt 14:24-33); as an early Greek commentator puts it: "The Lord allowed his disciples to enter danger to make them suffer, and he did not immediately come to their aid: he left them in peril for the whole night, to teach them to be patient and not to be accustomed to receiving immediate succor in tribulation" (Theophylact, "Enarratio in Evangelium Marci, in loc.").
52. The disciples do not yet see Jesus' miracles as signs of his divinity. They witness the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mk 6:33-44) and the second multiplication of the loaves (Mk 8: 17), but their hearts and minds are still hardened; they fail to grasp the full import of what Jesus is teaching them through his actions -- that he is the Son of God. Jesus is patient and understanding with their defects, even when they fail to grasp what he says when he speaks about his own passion (Lk 18:34). Our Lord will give them further miracles and further teaching to enlighten their minds, and later, he will send the Holy Spirit to teach them all things and remind them of everything he said (cf. Jn 14:26).
St Bede the Venerable comments on this whole episode (Mk 6:45-52) in this way: "In a mystical sense, the disciples' efforts to row against the wind point to the efforts the Holy Church must make against the waves of the enemy world and the outpourings of evil spirits in order to reach the haven of its heavenly home. It is rightly said that the boat was out on the sea and He alone on the land, because the Church has never been so intensely persecuted by the Gentiles that it seemed as if the Redeemer had abandoned it completely. But the Lord sees his disciples struggling, and to sustain them he looks at them compassionately and sometimes frees them from peril by clearly coming to their aid" ("In Marci Evangelium expositio", in loc.).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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