Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 27, 2016 - Dec. 27 - Feast of St. John, Apostle & Evangelist
[1 John 1:1-4 and John 20:1a, 2-8]Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. [John]
Today is the feast of St. John the apostle and evangelist. He was one of the first of the apostles to be called by Jesus, along with his brother, James. In the gospel that is named for him, he is referred to a number of times as the "disciple whom Jesus loved." Today's gospel passage from the Gospel of John has those words. He runs with Peter to see the empty tomb when Mary Magdalen reports it. The last words of the quote above are important: "He saw and believed."
In the Gospel of John, "seeing and believing" are a major theme. Another "theme" is the gradual coming to faith of individuals who encounter Jesus. In the scene from today's gospel passage, John does not enter the tomb at first. He "bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in." It was only after he entered the tomb that he "saw and believed." If we look elsewhere in the Gospel of John with the encounters with the Samaritan woman (Chap. 4), the Man Born Blind (Chap 9 and "Doubting Thomas" (Chap. 20), we will find examples of this theme. [For a good introduction to the entire Gospel of John, I highly recommend Fr. Felix Just, S.J.'s RETREAT WITH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN by Now You Know Media. He is a former student parishioner of mine from the University of Arizona!]
There is much to be learned from the Gospel of John, but the lesson of accepting people where they are and helping them "come to see" is crucial for evangelization, especially in the "New Evangelization" promoted by the last three popes. Even that which is familiar to us in our Catholic faith may be faint and vague and require growth and teaching. St. John was one of Jesus' closest friends. He could testify to what he had heard, seen and touched and has made known to us (cf. the first scripture today). We are called by virtue of our baptism to do the same. AMEN
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