Feast of Saint John, apostle
and evangelist
(I John 1:1-4; John 20:1a.2-8)
Once a disillusioned pilgrim returned from the Holy Land lamenting
the conditions he encountered. Not only was
there strife between Jews and Arabs, but hawkers constantly besieged him with souvenir
trinkets. Even in Bethlehem, where Jesus
was born on a serene night, he found conflict.
The man marveled at how times had changed since the serene night when the
animals crowded around the infant Jesus to give him warmth. However, he only had to read the Scriptures
closely to realize that trouble is nothing new to the area.
Although the Gospel of Luke depicts a tranquil setting for
Jesus’ birth, there is much evidence of conflict in New Testament times. In John’s gospel Jesus conducts a running
debate with the Jews who try to kill him.
The Letters of John report a feud between the community of the beloved
disciple and a secessionist group who apparently believed that morals do not
matter. Of course, there is the
acrimonious debate between Jesus and the Pharisees which is believed to reflect
trouble between the first Christians and their Jewish countrymen.
In spite of all this conflict, the writer of the First
Letter of John offers a testimony of hope.
Much more than a dream or vision, his testimony involves a living human
being whose countenance he saw, whose voice he heard, and whose body he touched. We do not look to this one so much for deliverance
from the pressures of life. Rather we count
on him for the courage to address our problems with justice and justice.
