1 John 4:11-18 / Mark 6:45-52
The word "ghost" will certainly give rise to uncomfortable feelings and scary thoughts, and certainly we won't want to hear "ghost stories" at night and have nightmares.
As it is generally understood, ghost may mean an apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living in some kind of vague, unclear, hazy or ill-defined image.
In the gospel, the disciples in the boat thought that Jesus was a ghost when they saw His walking in the water.
Added on to that, the wind was strong and the sea was rough and we can assume that they were trying to stay afloat and certainly all was not calm and peaceful.
In such chaotic moments, logic and rationale usually gives way to fear and anxiety and inevitably the imagination will run wild, so even though it was Jesus, the disciples thought that it was something scary.
Yet the 1st reading tells us that where there is love there is no fear. Yes, God loves us and we belong to Him.
God's love is perfect and His perfect love drives out all fear, because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.
So when all around us is in turmoil and in chaos, let us be still and be calm. Let us be still and know that God loves us.
May God's love drive out from us all that cause us to fear and be anxious and to worry.
May God's love also grant us peace of heart so that we will grow in love.