Feast of Saint John, apostle and evangelist
(I John 1:1-4; John 20:1a.2-8)
Some may be taken aback by a resurrection
account so near to Christmas. But it
reminds us that our celebration must be tempered. Jesus did not come to make the world
perpetually joyful. Rather he came to
lead humans to heavenly glory. The
resurrection is at the heart of that accomplishment.
The Beloved Disciple takes center stage in today’s passage. He should not be considered the writer of the Gospel of John. But he evidently provided many of the records on which the gospel is based. The reading testifies that he believes without seeing the risen Christ. In this he differs from the other disciples. They all had to see Jesus before they believed. Later in the gospel Jesus will say to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Beloved Disciple is the first person to do that.
We follow the Beloved Disciple in believing without seeing. Belief sometimes comes easily as when we attend Mass on Christmas. “Yes,” we say, “he is here” with all the people around us. In more skeptical circles, which increasingly make up society, belief requires attention. We must look deeply into things to see how Jesus best leads us to happiness.
