Homily for Tuesday after Epiphany
Theme: Too afraid to love?
By: Rev Fr Oselumhense Anetor (Uromi Diocese).
Homily for Tuesday January 5 2022
1 Jn. 4:7-10; Mark 6:34-44
Philophobia is the fear of loving, or the fear to receive love. Many of us have been brutally wounded, disappointed and outrightly rejected when we tried to love. Perhaps this has happened to us too many times. These rebuttals can make us suspicious of loving anyone ever again. In today’s first reading, John tells us that God is love, and he showed us true unconditional love when he gave us His Son while we were still sinners. This is the same love that moved Jesus to have compassion on the five thousand in the gospel reading of today. He fed them without expecting any reward or payment.
Dear friends, we need to continue making efforts to love and be loved. We may have been hurt too many times, we may have been disappointed by those we loved most, we may have had our love thrown in our faces, but we cannot stop acting in the best interest of others. We need to continue making one act of random kindness as many times as possible. We must make efforts to show love and compassion even to the most undeserving; to those who may never be in a position to return it. Whatever does not kill us only makes us stronger. Go out there today and brace yourself to love and be loved.
Good morning dear, God bless your day ahead!