6 JANUARY 2021 WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY ANDRE BESSETTE (RELIGIOUS)

 

6 JANUARY 2021

 

WEDNESDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

ANDRE BESSETTE (RELIGIOUS)

INTRODUCTION:

 

Today the mother Church remembers St. Andre Bessette. He was born on August 9, 1845 at Montreal, Canada. He was known as the “Miracle Man of the Montreal” where he founded the Oratory of St. Joseph to whom he was dedicated and fostered devotion. He humbly devoted his life to prayer, serving the Lord and comforting the sick and afflicted. Through his intercessory prayers to St. Joseph, many received God’s healing power. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010.

 

SCRIPTURE LESSONS SUMMARIZED

 

THE FIRST READING 1 John 4:11-18

 

In today’s first reading St. John is telling us that God has loved us so much and so we too should love God in return. St. John says that no one has 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 God is living in us and we in him because he lets us share his Spirit. St. John says that he has seen and he along with others testify that God sent his son as savior of the world.

 

St. John makes another important point in today’s reading. He says that if anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. St. John has managed to capture the core of God’s essence i.e., God is love.

           St. John makes another point here. He says that love will come to its perfection when we face the day of Judgment without fear. In love there can be no fear. Fear is driven out by perfect love. To fear is to expect punishment and anyone who is afraid is in imperfect love.

 

THE GOSPEL READING: Mark 6:45-52

 

In the Gospel reading of today St. Mark tells us that after a hectic ministry of feeding the five thousand people, Jesus himself sent the crowd away, he made the disciples to get into the boat and told them to go ahead to Bethsaida. Jesus said goodbye to his disciples and he went up on the mountain to pray. Jesus was there till evening. The boat was far out in the sea. Jesus was alone in the land. He could see them worn out with rowing for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came towards them walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by. When they saw him, they were terrified. They thought he was a ghost. Jesus said to them: “courage! It is I! Do not be afraid. Then when he got into the boat with them, the wind dropped. The disciples were speechless because they had not seen and understood what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.

 

MESSAGES FOR OUR DAILY LIVING:

 

1.   God has loved us so much and so we too must love him in return.

2.   God lives in us when we love our neighbor genuinely.

3.   God is love. The sooner we understand this reality the holier will be our life.

4.   In love there can be no fear. Fear is driven out by perfect love. To fear is to expect punishment and anyone who is afraid is in imperfect love.

5.   We all have received a particular ministry from God – to look after our family, to love our spouse, to take care of the youth, to take care of the society and so on. We need to be fully involved in our ministry like Jesus.

6.   After his hectic ministry Jesus went up to the mountain to pray. This only shows that no matter how busy we are we need to pray every day to God.

7.   Our love for God can also be manifested in our prayer life which is regular and constant apart from our love for our neighbor.

8.   Though the boat was far away in the sea, Jesus could see his disciples’ struggle in the sea. Don Bosco says: “God sees you”. God sees us and knows our joys and sorrows.

9.   It is God who takes the first step and comes towards us as he came today towards the disciples who were struggling in the sea.

10.                The disciples were afraid thinking that he was a ghost. In our fear and sin, we don’t recognize God’s ways of approaching towards us, our family and into our life.

11.                When Jesus got into the boat with them, the wind dropped. When Jesus comes in our life, we don’t need to be afraid of any storm of life. He will take care of our life.