Apostle and Evangelist
Biographical Information about St. John the Evangelist[1]
Readings for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 1:1-4
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,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 1:1-4
The introduction of the First Letter of John describes the author as not only a believer in Jesus but also an eyewitness and contemporary of the Lord. He describes the unifying force of faith in the Father and his joy in passing on the great news of the Savior.
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Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
The psalm of praise echoes the gladness that St. John writes about in the first reading. Who would not want an ally like the omnipotent God of justice?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 20:1a and 2-8
The Gospel story of the discovery of the empty tomb describes St. John (the disciple whom Jesus loved). It is interesting that St. John arrives first but recognizes St. Peter’s primacy, waiting for him to enter the tomb first. Note also that when St. John entered the tomb, he immediately understood what happened and “believed.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.”
It is appropriate that we as Church remember on this day St. John the Apostle. He was the youngest of the twelve. He was the author of not only the Gospel of Faith, but also two epistles and the book of Revelations. His faith community tackled the earliest and, in many ways, the hardest questions about the life and mission of Christ and set down that understanding for our posterity.
What do we suppose was John’s joy that is made complete in the writing of his experience and understanding of the Lord? In our Christmas season, we are still feeling the afterglow of the warmth and love we experiences in the Lord’s Nativity. We understand anew the gift God has given us in his Son, and we rejoice in the life that flows from that gift.
We hear what John says and suddenly it all makes sense. He was there. He was with the Lord as he walked and talked; as he preached and healed. He experienced the profound amazement of the man and God; the profound sadness of the Passion. He was there at the empty tomb where the source of his happiness had been laid. He saw and believed in that empty tomb and his joy soared.
What we receive from John in the short sentence above is like what we might feel when we get the very best news we can hope for; news that changes our lives – like the birth of our child, like the vows at a wedding or promotion at work. When we get the very best news isn’t sharing it the first thing we want to do? Does not having others rejoice with us heighten our own joy? Does it not make our joy complete?
This is perhaps one of John’s most important contributions – his joy in the Savior. Let us share that joy, especially this Christmas season. The Savior has come!
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St John the Evangelist” by Juan de Juanes, 1445-50
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
Biographical Information about St. John the Evangelist[1]
Readings for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 1:1-4
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,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 1:1-4
The introduction of the First Letter of John describes the author as not only a believer in Jesus but also an eyewitness and contemporary of the Lord. He describes the unifying force of faith in the Father and his joy in passing on the great news of the Savior.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
The psalm of praise echoes the gladness that St. John writes about in the first reading. Who would not want an ally like the omnipotent God of justice?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 20:1a and 2-8
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 20:1a and 2-8
The Gospel story of the discovery of the empty tomb describes St. John (the disciple whom Jesus loved). It is interesting that St. John arrives first but recognizes St. Peter’s primacy, waiting for him to enter the tomb first. Note also that when St. John entered the tomb, he immediately understood what happened and “believed.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.”
It is appropriate that we as Church remember on this day St. John the Apostle. He was the youngest of the twelve. He was the author of not only the Gospel of Faith, but also two epistles and the book of Revelations. His faith community tackled the earliest and, in many ways, the hardest questions about the life and mission of Christ and set down that understanding for our posterity.
What do we suppose was John’s joy that is made complete in the writing of his experience and understanding of the Lord? In our Christmas season, we are still feeling the afterglow of the warmth and love we experiences in the Lord’s Nativity. We understand anew the gift God has given us in his Son, and we rejoice in the life that flows from that gift.
We hear what John says and suddenly it all makes sense. He was there. He was with the Lord as he walked and talked; as he preached and healed. He experienced the profound amazement of the man and God; the profound sadness of the Passion. He was there at the empty tomb where the source of his happiness had been laid. He saw and believed in that empty tomb and his joy soared.
What we receive from John in the short sentence above is like what we might feel when we get the very best news we can hope for; news that changes our lives – like the birth of our child, like the vows at a wedding or promotion at work. When we get the very best news isn’t sharing it the first thing we want to do? Does not having others rejoice with us heighten our own joy? Does it not make our joy complete?
This is perhaps one of John’s most important contributions – his joy in the Savior. Let us share that joy, especially this Christmas season. The Savior has come!
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St John the Evangelist” by Juan de Juanes, 1445-50
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
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