Word to the Wise
Friday, December 27, 2019 - 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 have seen with out eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life - .....what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. [1 John]
The celebration of the feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist, is about more than simply one person, attractive as he may be. It is about a whole way of understanding Jesus' identity. The Gospel According to John and the three letters that bear his name present us with an understanding and interpretation of Jesus that seems to transcend history and events. The Prologue to the Gospel According to John is a summation of all of this, and we see an echo of that prologue in today's first scripture from the First Letter of John: "What was from the beginning....." The letters of St. John will provide the first scripture for the next few days. They are a proclamation of the profound truth of the incarnation.
The purpose of the proclamation is to invite others to be a part of the eternal life that comes from faith in Jesus. The word, "fellowship," is prominent. Other translations use "common life," "shared life." The important point is the invitation to this new life. We who believe hold this invitation within us and we are commissioned to share it with others by virtue of our baptism. What we are proclaiming in this season is really more than the physical birth of Jesus, but his entire identity both God and Human. In the days ahead we will have the opportunity to consider this profound truth more deliberately. For today, we can thank St. John and the Community that preserved his understanding in the form of the Gospel and Letters which tell us of the Word of life. AMEN