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Manila Bulletin devider Reflections devider Do not be afraid!

Do not be afraid!

Published Jan 5, 2022 12:03 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY Which command in the Bible is the most repeated? This one: “Do not be afraid!”  Jesus reassures the disciples terrified at a figure walking on the angry sea that it is he, not some  ghost, and so they should not be afraid. We will be less doubtful and distressed in hardships when  we come to recognize the presence of God in our lives. With God, we need not be afraid of anything. The year 2020 was an annus horribilis, a terrible year. The volcanic eruption of Taal was the  opening salvo, and the rest of the year was horribly affected by the pandemic. Everybody’s life was  affected. Much like the disciples on the boat, we feared what would become of our future and how  we could survive. Still, Christ has made himself known and calms our fears in many ways, making  us trust all the more in his person. The First Reading says that true love is not driven by fear. There can be no real discipleship if  we are simply afraid of divine punishment. True discipleship recognizes the bond of love between  God and the believer. The believer does what is right because he or she loves. What is the basis for my actions? Do I strive to be a good person because I am afraid, or am I  truly in love with God? Do I recognize the presence of God who calms all my fears?

Gospel • MARK 6:45-52

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. SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

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