Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 27, 2022 - Dec. 27 - Feast of St. John, Apostle & Evangelist
[1 John 1:1-4 and John 20:1a, 2-8,]What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life - for the ife was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it....[1 John]
I admit that I am an unabashed fan of the Gospel According to John and the letters attributed to him. Scripture scholars refer to the Gospel, the letters and the Book of Revelation as the "Johannine Corpus!" Given the period of time that scholars can find in those scriptures, it is not likely that the apostle actually wrote them all. But the tradition and attitude of the works show profound development in Christian reflection on the meaning and challenge of our faith in the years following the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The two Johannine scriptures chosen for the celebration of Eucharist today give us a good sample.
The selection from 1 John seems to echo the Prologue to the Gospel According to John with "What was from the beginning...." and "for the life was made visible..." The gospel passage is chosen from the story of Simon Peter and "the other disciple whom Jesus loved.." running to the tomb after Mary Magdalen reported it to be empty. The last line, speaking of "the other disciple" says "and he saw and believed." Seeing and believing are a major theme of the gospel.
One very fruitful way to "get into" the Gospel According to John is simply to read the encounters between Jesus and each character(s) such as Andrew, Jesus' mother (Cana/foot of the cross), Nicodemus, Samaritan woman, royal official, crippled beggar, man born blind, Pontius Pilate, Thomas - just to name some of them. Each encounter is like a "mini-drama" that opens up the eyes of faith. What then is OUR encounter with Jesus?
As I grow older, a line from the last chapter of the Gospel According to John takes on deeper meaning: "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go!" Today's feast of "the Beloved Disciple" is an opportunity to encounter Jesus in a very different way than as a baby in the nativity scene! AMEN
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