The Love That Calms Our Storms

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

1Jn 4:11-18, Psalm: 71, Mk 6:45-52

Memorial of Saint Raymond of Penyafort, Presbyter

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint Raymond of Penyafort, a great canon lawyer who worked to bring order to the life of the Church, the Word of God speaks to us of a deeper, more fundamental order: the order of love that casts out all fear and brings peace to the storms of our hearts.

Saint John continues his magnificent reflection on the nature of God. “Beloved,” he writes, “if God so loved us, we also must love one another.” This is the non-negotiable consequence of our faith. But then John reveals the extraordinary fruit of this mutual love: “No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.” When we love with God’s love, we become the visible presence of the invisible God in the world.

From this abiding presence flows our freedom. “There is no fear in love,” John declares, “but perfect love drives out fear.” Fear is rooted in punishment, in uncertainty, in feeling alone and unaided. But the love revealed in Jesus Christ—a love so total He laid down His life for us—assures us of our standing before God. We are not cowering servants, but beloved children. “So we know and believe in the love God has for us.” This belief is our anchor.

How timely, then, is the Gospel. Immediately after the miracle of the loaves, Jesus sends His disciples across the sea while He dismisses the crowd and goes to pray. A violent storm arises, and the disciples are straining at the oars against an adverse wind. In their struggle, they see Jesus walking on the water, and they are terrified, thinking Him a ghost. His response is the perfect echo of John’s letter: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” He then gets into the boat with them, and the wind dies down. Mark notes poignantly, “They were completely astounded, for they had not understood the incident of the loaves. Their hearts were hardened.”

The connection is profound. They had just witnessed the miracle of abundant love—the loaves multiplied for the hungry. But they had not yet internalized what it revealed: that the one in their midst was God Himself, the source of all love and provision. Without understanding His love, they could only see the storm and be afraid. Peace came only when He entered the boat with them.

This is the pattern of our lives. We face storms—of anxiety, illness, conflict, or doubt. We strain at the oars of our own efforts. And into our tumult, the Lord comes, speaking to the heart of our fear: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.” His very presence is our peace. But we must understand the loaves. We must know and believe in the love He has already shown us, most perfectly on the Cross.

Saint Raymond of Penyafort, navigating the complex storms of Church law, ultimately sought to bring souls to the peace of God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He understood that order and peace flow from God’s loving will.

Today, let us ask for the grace to truly understand the “loaves” in our own lives—the daily miracles of grace, the past faithfulness of God. Let us invite Jesus into the boat of our current struggles, trusting that His presence is greater than any storm. For if His perfect love casts out all fear, then with Him beside us, we can navigate any water, and find our way always to Him. Amen.