Today's Gospel January 9, 2021 with the words of Pope Francis

Da Paolo Tessione - January 9, 2021

Pope Francis hailed “the saints who live next door” during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying doctors and others who are still working are heroes. The pope is seen here celebrating Palm Sunday Mass behind closed doors because of the coronavirus.

READING OF THE DAY
From the first letter of St. John the apostle
1 Jn 4,11: 18-XNUMX

Dear friends, if God loved us like this, we too must love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us and his love is perfect in us.

In this we know that we remain in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit. And we ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as the savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love; whoever remains in love remains in God and God remains in him.

In this love has reached its perfection among us: that we have faith in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we too, in this world. In love there is no fear, on the contrary perfect love drives out fear, because fear supposes a punishment and whoever fears is not perfect in love.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mc 6,45-52

[After the five thousand men were satisfied], Jesus immediately forced his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other shore, to Bethsaida, until he dismissed the crowd. When he had sent them away, he went to the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he, alone, ashore. But seeing them tired in rowing, because they had a contrary wind, at the end of the night he went towards them walking on the sea, and wanted to pass them.

They, seeing him walking on the sea, thought: "He is a ghost!", And they began to shout, because everyone had seen him and were shocked by it. But he immediately spoke to them and said, "Come on, it's me, don't be afraid!" And he got into the boat with them and the wind stopped.

And inside they were deeply amazed, because they had not understood the fact of the loaves: their hearts were hardened.

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
This episode is a wonderful image of the reality of the Church of all times: a boat that, along the crossing, must also face headwinds and storms, which threaten to overwhelm it. What saves her are not the courage and qualities of her men: the guarantee against shipwreck is faith in Christ and in his word. This is the guarantee: faith in Jesus and in his word. On this boat we are safe, despite our miseries and weaknesses ... (Angelus, 13 August 2017)