At the beginning of this new year, the friary was invited to celebrate Mass for those watching daily Mass on the RTÉ News Channel. The following is the homily I preached based on the readings from I John 4:11-18 and Mark 6: 45-52. (See Readings after the Epiphany / January 9.)
I have heard it said by some biblical commentators that the Jewish people at the time of Jesus were not known as a seafaring people. Far from wanting to adventure far from shore they were what sailors used to call “Landlubbers.” In fact, they were scared stiff of deep water! An indication of this ‘aquaphobia’ is the example of Jesus speaking of what he thought might be the most severe and terrifying punishment a person could endure, namely, having a stone tied around one’s neck and being thrown into the sea (Mt 18:6 – this referred to those who cause scandal to the “little ones” which could mean either children or recent converts to the Church who were weak in the faith.)
In spite of this fear of the waters of the deep, Jesus seems quite comfortable travelling back and forth over the Sea of Galilee on his mission of preaching, healing, and proclaiming the nearness of the Kingdom of God. The Gospels tell of a number of stormy scenes where the disciples are frantic with fear, while Jesus is the essence of calmness. Each episode has its own take on the issue of fear and how it relates to being a disciple.
One of my favourite instances is the one where a storm suddenly arises and we find Jesus fast asleep in the back of the boat while the apostles struggle to survive (Mt.8:23-27). They shake him awake, accusing him of not caring whether they go down. But the attitude of the Lord is to care, yet not to care! He, of course, feels for his friends in their panic, but in himself he is fearless because he knows he is safe in the care of his Father, knowing full well that God is not going to allow His son to drown before completing his mission.
Jesus is more concerned with addressing the inner storm of fear in the hearts of his companions than calming the waves of the sea.
The second example is recorded in Mt.14:28-33, where, in another storm scene, Jesus comes walking on the water and Peter gets it into his head that he is going to join his master! However, after the first few steps, Peter gives into his fear of the impossible task he has taken on, and the Lord has to save him from drowning.
As Jesus tosses his chief apostle back into the boat, we can imagine him saying to him, “Listen Peter, I’m Jesus the Messiah, I walk on the water. You are my disciple, just stay in the boat.”
Peter needs to learn the humility of discovering the limits of his trust in Jesus and to act accordingly.
Then we come to today’s Gospel (Mk.6:45-52) which turns out to be quite different from the previous two. For one thing, this isn’t really a storm scene. The fishermen are not in danger of drowning, they are just struggling against a headwind, and Jesus wants to encourage them, having noticed their need while praying alone.
And then there is the unusual factor that the disciples are frightened of Jesus, more than any storm! “It is a ghost,” they cry out, until Jesus enters the boat showing his basic humanity, in the flesh, so to speak. (A similar scene is the Easter story of the Risen Lord appearing to his disciples and asking for food or challenging Thomas to touch his wounds. Because he is flesh and blood they need not fear.)
What I find as highly significant in this scene are the words of encouragement Jesus proclaims to the apostles. “Courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”
Note three distinct elements in this message to the fearful disciples. The first concerns courage or bravery which is one of the classical cardinal virtues. Courage is the power to overcome fear, the refusal to let our fear paralyse us, stopping us from being in charge of our lives at a particular moment. However, courage is not always a virtue, especially when it is in the service of an unjust cause, for example when a criminal risks life and limb to injure someone or to steal property.
How different this is from the classic example of a fireman, say, entering a burning building to rescue a vulnerable person?
The source of the courage is all important then or the motive that drives it. We can imagine various sources or motives moving a person to stand up to fear, including self-esteem, a desire to impress others, even personal vanity, and self-interest.
Where fear is based on ignorance, such as the disciples thinking that Jesus is a ghost, checking out the facts by clear thinking and reasoning can also dispel the emotion. Obviously, too, courage can derive from altruism, a love for others, leading to people risking their lives for another, e.g., diving into the sea to save someone from drowning.
But the source of courage in the Gospel is situated in the middle words of Jesus’ challenge, “It is I,” which is the perfect example of the principle underlined in the first reading from John, “Perfect love drives out fear” (IJn.4:18).
It is plainly not the love of the disciples for Jesus that drives out their fear since it is far from perfect. No, it is the love of Jesus for them, driving him to walk on the water to “en-courage” them in their struggle that is the perfect love in question, a love that has a more ultimate source in the life of the Trinity, especially through the Spirit of the Father and the Son.
And all of this makes perfect sense from the perspective of human experience where the greatest, practical source of courage, driving out fear, is when someone who loves us deeply is present with us, holding our hands, giving us a reassuring hug, praying with and for us, speaking words of encouragement. And when we realise in faith and hope that God is with us, especially through our Baptism and in the Eucharist, then we can truly abandon our fears because of that perfect love confirming that we are safe, no matter what.
These profound readings tell us that while courage can be understood in humanistic terms, from the point of view of a virtue arising from our own psychological and rational resources, this is not enough. Because courage in its deepest sense is a religious virtue depending on the promise of Jesus, “I am with you always, until the end of time” (Mt 28:20). “It is I, there is no need to be afraid.” A courage that depends on less than the perfect love of God for each one of us and the whole of creation, revealed pre-eminently in Jesus can only disappoint in the long run.
As we begin a new year, can there be any more hopeful vision for ourselves and our world than this message of where true courage lies. May the Lord grant you a blessed, peaceful, healthy and a fearless twelve months!
Kieran ofm