Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 27, 2017 - 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 life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us - what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you..... [1 John]
The celebration of the feast of St. John the apostle and evangelist follows on the feast of St. Stephen the first martyr. Their lives present two different forms of bearing witness to the "good news" of Jesus Christ. The witness of John, however, would be more accessible to us on a daily basis, thank goodness! Tradition teaches us that the apostle John was the only apostle who wasn't martyred. We have access to him by picking up the New Testament! When we do that, we enter a world of reflection that is very different from the other three gospel portraits of Jesus and the other epistles.
The "Johannine literature" [gospel and three letters] are dated later than the other three gospels and St. Paul's letters. It represents a message that has been reflected on for a longer time and in a broader cultural context. An intentional effort with a good study Bible will be richly rewarded to anyone who wants to know this scriptural treasure. I have found the dramatic elements in the Gospel According to John to be very rewarding. Each encounter with Jesus shows the process of a growing faith or a deepening darkness. The Prologue to the gospel is a beautiful piece in itself although it announces the major themes of what will follow. The passion account in this gospel is the one proclaimed on Good Friday. The words I quoted above from the First Letter of John really describe what the writer and we are called to do: to proclaim what we have heard and seen. Christ is born! AMEN