Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Lectionary: 697
Reading 1
1 John 1:1-4
Beloved:
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.
Responsorial Psalm
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!
Alleluia See
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Beloved Disciple
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. John 20:1–3
It’s interesting that Saint John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Of course, Jesus loved all people. He loved all of the disciples. But in John’s Gospel, this unique title of the beloved disciple is given to John.
Saint John the Apostle may be understood as this beloved disciple for many reasons. First, recall the special closeness and affection John shows Jesus at the Last Supper when John reclined next to Him. Recall, also, that it was John alone who stood at the foot of the Cross with Jesus’ mother and that Jesus entrusted His mother to John and John to His mother. And note in the passage above that it was John who first ran to the empty tomb as soon as Mary Magdalene revealed her discovery to him. Furthermore, many scholars believe John to be the youngest disciple. And as a younger disciple, he may have received special fatherly-like attention from our Lord.
However, John may also be understood as the beloved disciple for another reason. Simply put, this is how John saw himself as he wrote his Gospel account. John may have done so because telling the story of Jesus’ life was deeply personal to him. His own love and affection for his Lord was the central and most consuming passion of his soul. And it appears that as John speaks of Jesus, and of his own encounters with Jesus, John was compelled to prayerfully ponder the holy and spiritual love that Jesus had for him. Thus, it appears that John could not speak of his encounters with our Lord without also identifying the divine love that united them. It’s as if every time his Gospel story spoke of an encounter he had with Jesus, John was overwhelmed by the simple fact that Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, knew him and loved him personally. And so he was compelled to state that fact over and over.
In this case, it’s quite beautiful, on a spiritual level, to ponder John’s soul. He was clearly a man who was deeply touched by God in the Person of Jesus. And after Jesus ascended into Heaven, it appears that John’s holy love for Jesus only grew. As he went forth as an Apostle, preaching about the salvation that comes through his Savior and dear friend, he clearly grew closer to our Lord day by day. When John wrote his Gospel toward the end of his life, his heart was clearly aflame with divine love as he was intensely looking forward to being fully united with his Lord in Heaven.
As we honor this unique and holy Apostle, reflect, today, upon the simple truth that you are also invited to share in the holy and intimate love shared by Jesus and Saint John. Ponder the fact that our Lord also loves you with perfect charity, intimacy and totality. If you can gaze upon the love in the heart of this beloved disciple, then you, too, can share in that love and become a beloved disciple yourself.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
WHY EVANGELIZE?
“...so that you may share life with us.” —1 John 1:3
One would think St. John the Apostle shared his Gospel so that his hearers would believe in Jesus the Messiah. After all, he testified that this was why he wrote his Gospel (Jn 20:31). Yet John also writes that he testifies to Jesus so that his readers might share fellowship with his own community. The members of John’s community share fellowship with God the Father and God the Son (1 Jn 1:3). Knowing that his readers could experience such communal fellowship would make John’s joy complete (1 Jn 1:4).
This is God’s viewpoint. God greatly desires to have fellowship with us, even to the point of inviting us to share eternal life with Him (Jn 3:16). Jesus spread the Gospel to many, all the while greatly desiring to share the table fellowship of the Eucharistic meal with us (Lk 22:15).
As good as it is to spread the Gospel, it’s also good to want others to share life and fellowship with us (Acts 2:42; 1 Jn 1:3). St. John the Apostle learned this lesson personally. John didn’t want to share fellowship with Samaritans (Lk 9:52-54); he wanted to incinerate them! Jesus corrected him immediately (Lk 9:55). After Pentecost, John actually went to Samaria to pray with these same Samaritans so they could receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
We also need to learn John’s lesson. Are there people whom you would like to become believers, but only if they keep their distance from you? Ask the Lord for the grace to love these people as He does.
Prayer: Father, purify my motives so that I may spread Your Good News in the same manner as St. John did.
Promise: “He saw and believed.” —Jn 20:8
Praise: St. John wrote: “God is Love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16).
Reflection 3
Shared from Daily Liturgy
The titles used for John are: the beloved disciple, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and the one who was reclining next to Jesus. There is a special bond between Jesus and this beloved disciple. It is through him that Peter was trying to know the mind of Jesus about the betrayer. Since he is the beloved of Jesus and vice versa, we see him even at the passion and at the foot of the cross. Jesus replaced his absence in the family with his beloved disciple and entrusted his beloved mother to him. He saw the empty tomb and believed at the prediction of Jesus that he would be risen. At the Tiberias appearance, it is this beloved disciple who recognizes Jesus. His deep love for Jesus sticks him close to Jesus always. Am I ready to run for the sake of my faith?
Prayers
My beloved Lord, the love You bestowed upon the disciple John was perfect in every way. After Your ascension into Heaven, You continued to deepen Your relationship with him, drawing him ever closer to Your Sacred Heart. Please pour forth upon me that same love and draw me into Your Heart so that I, too, will become Your beloved disciple. Saint John, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love and power that sets us free to love and serve you now and forever in your everlasting kingdom.
Prayers
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 361: Sacrifice and Prayer
Though this may be hard to understand and to believe, interior sacrifice united with pure prayer does incredible good for the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world. In fact, if missionaries did not have the power of holy souls who offered daily interior sacrifices and prayers, their efforts would have little effect. The grace of God is what moves people and this grace is especially won through souls whose sacrifices are: silent, hidden, permeated with love and imbued with prayer. (See Diary #1767).
Reflect upon the fact that you have so very much to offer for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God through your personal and interior sacrifices. By choosing those things that are difficult, and even repulsive to your feelings, you are able to offer powerful intercession for the good of the Church. There is an incredible amount of spiritual power in this kind of sacrifice. God chooses some special souls to offer this sacrifice in a profound way, but everyone must strive to do so. Reflect upon the opportunities you have right now to embrace some interior struggle. By embracing it and offering it to God, you transform this suffering into grace that prayer and work alone could never achieve.
Lord, help me to understand the power of my interior sacrifices. Help me to know that choosing You and embracing my sufferings for You becomes a powerful source of grace in this world. When this confuses me, dear Lord, help me to put my eyes on You and to know Your most holy Will. Jesus, I trust in You.
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