Mark 6,45-52

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6,45-52

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
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.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid”

1. He left to pray. Jesus looks for a moment of prayer. He makes time to talk with the Holy Father. Why can’t you make time? It is not that you do not have time rather that you are not willing to make time to speak to God. Find Him in order to speak to Him.
2. Tired of rowing. The apostles get tired, you and I are also often tired. How many times do we get tired because we feel there are many obstacles in our way! This fatigue makes us want to give up and makes us feel stuck in the middle of nowhere.
3. They saw Him and got scared. When we do not recognize God, we get scared. We are afraid of God and of life. Do not fear life – rather, you must respect it. And Jesus says one of my favourite phrases: “Take courage! It is me. Don’t be afraid.” This is what God is saying to you today. Do not be afraid to face obstacles, do not be afraid of what God is proposing to you. With God you will reach your destiny, with His Help you can find strength and continue. Your life is like being in the middle of the ocean. Are you going to continue rowing or are you going to give up? “Take courage! It is me. Don’t be afraid.”

May God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Always remember that Heaven is our goal!