“WALK DAILY WITH JESUS” (Wednesday, 7th January, Christmas Weekday in Year A. Also, Optional Memorial of Saint Raymond of Penyafort, Presbyter, Religious).

COLLECT: “O GOD, WHOSE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON HAS APPEARED IN OUR VERY FLESH, GRANT, WE PRAY, THAT WE MAY BE INWARDLY TRANSFORMED THROUGH HIM WHOM WE RECOGNIZE AS OUTWARDLY LIKE OURSELVES. WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN”.

Jn 4:11-18; Ps 71:1-2,10-13 and Mk 6:45-52.

Human experience shows that you are not afraid or you do not fear or doubt someone you love truly and genuinely. One will never think of the other person causing any harm to him/her. It is only when the love is not true and genuine that one will be doubtful and afraid or fear the other as a friend or a lover.

This is the picture we have today in the scripture passages we are reflecting on. St. John has made it clear in his First Letter, the portion we are reflecting on, that ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…’. If we truly and genuinely love Jesus, we will not doubt or be afraid of him.

Just as a true and a genuine friend or lover is a constant companion, so by virtue of our baptism and confirmation, together with our daily or weekly reception of Holy Communion, Jesus Christ lives in us as a true or genuine friend, brother and a constant companion. He always walks along with us on our earthly pilgrimage like the incident on the way to Emmaus. Why should we therefore doubt or fear him? When our love of God is complete then all fear will have disappeared.

However, fear will be there if our love for God is not complete. This will be the time some of us may turn our love for God the Creator to other creatures as gods which will generate more doubt and fear in us.

This earthly life is characterised by several storms. There are storms in marriage, parenting, professions, politics, priestly and religious lives, etc. These very often manifest themselves in the form of sorrow, doubt, tension, uncertainty, anxiety, worries, anger, despair, and temptations. The disciples of Jesus have their share on the sea. What we should know is that in our storms, we are not left alone to handle them all by ourselves, and in fact, we cannot handle them alone because we are weak and frail and if left alone, we can do nothing.

Therefore, the Lord is always with us in our storms and he has power over every situation in our lives. All we always have to do is place all our storms in his hands in trust and in faith. In trust and faith in the Lord, he will always give us the courage to forge ahead and he will always show us the way. If the Lord is with us who or what can be against us? With the Lord, are not impossible things possible? With the Lord, we shall be able to conquer and overcome all doubts and fears, as well as all forces in our lives. However, this will not be possible if the trust and belief in him are not there.

The Dagaaba have an adage that: “Dabie soba miere yiri” (Lit. “It is the coward that builds or sustains the house”). I am not sure if this adage is very true. Honesty, I think fear retards human development as well as spiritual development. Even if it is the coward who builds or sustains the ‘city’, this does not hold true in the spiritual realm.

If you are afraid to witness to the Lord and to the truth, to stand firm for your faith, you will definitely miss heaven. The coward or the one who fears will always miss heaven. Also note the saying that: “Cowards die many times before their (actual) death”. We pray that the Lord of mercy may forgive us those times that doubt and fear took us away from him to other creatures which we treat as gods. May he increase our faith and trust in him. May Saint Raymond intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the name Raymond.

WE MEDITATE TODAY, WEDNESDAY, ON THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES: ‘THE RESURRECTION, THE ASCENSION, THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE ASSUMPTION, AND THE CORONATION’. (WE PRAY FAITH, HOPE, LOVE OF GOD, GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH AND TRUST IN MARY’S INTERCESSION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

PRAYER: “O GOD, WHO TOUCHED US THROUGH OUR PARTAKING OF YOUR SACRAMENT, WORK, WE PRAY, THE EFFECTS OF ITS POWER IN OUR HEARTS, THAT WE MAY BE MADE FIT TO RECEIVE YOUR GIFT THROUGH THIS VERY GIFT ITSELF. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.

Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com