Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 7 January ‘26
Wednesday after Epiphany
1 John 4:11-18. Mark 6:45-52
Love that Cancels Fear
The first reading gives us a clear and liberating truth: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” Fear, John tells us, is tied to punishment, to insecurity, to the anxiety of not being accepted. Where fear dominates, love has not yet reached its fullness. God’s love moves in the opposite direction. It does not threaten; it reassures. It does not control; it frees.
There are different directions of love. When love comes from above—like a parent’s love for a child or a teacher’s care for a student—it carries no fear. It seeks only the good of the other. But when love moves upward, toward someone perceived as more powerful, richer, or more important, fear often enters. We worry about pleasing, about not offending, about losing approval. Many of our fears are born here. Yet God loves us first. Because God loves us, our love for God does not need fear. We are not trying to earn love; we are responding to it.
The Gospel shows this love confronting fear in a dramatic way. The disciples are alone in the boat, exhausted, battling wind and waves in the darkness. Jesus comes toward them, walking on the sea. Instead of recognizing him, they cry out in fear: “It is a ghost!” The one who brings peace is mistaken for a threat. Fear distorts vision. What we see often reveals more about what is inside us than about what is in front of us.
Jesus intends to pass by, but seeing their fear, he enters the boat. The storm calms, not first by force, but by presence. His words are simple and powerful: “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” Love does not shout; it reassures. Love does not explain everything; it stays.
Here we learn an important distinction. There is positive fear and negative fear. Positive fear protects life: fear of danger keeps us alert; fear of consequences helps us act responsibly. But negative fear paralyses us—fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of what others will think, fear that we are not enough. These fears do not come from God. They are often the residue of harsh words, broken systems, unhealthy comparisons—the filth society throws on us.
Such fear must be cleaned immediately. We do not keep garbage in our homes; we should not keep it in our hearts. Spiritually, faith is the act of cleaning—allowing God’s love to wash away what does not belong. Love clears vision. Love restores balance. Love gives courage.
When we speak words like “Do not be afraid” to someone who is struggling, we become instruments of the God who calms storms. When we choose trust over panic, presence over escape, compassion over suspicion, love begins to cancel fear—first in us, then through us.
Perfect love still drives out fear. And that love is already with us, in the boat, even when the waves are high.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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