Reflection for Tuesday, Christmas Octave  Feast of St. John, Apostle & Evangelist 

By

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Director, Social Action Movement, Don Bosco Bidar

 Today's WORD of GOD 


John 20:1a, 2-8

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 

Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 

as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 

Meditation on the Word of God 

If the WORD had Not Been Made Flesh

Who could Ever Touch the WORD with His Hands Unless the WORD was Made Flesh & Lived Among Us?

We Know This from John’s Phrase: “What Existed from the Beginning.” See how the Letter Bears Witness to His Gospel, where It Says: “In the Beginning was the WORD, & the WORD was with GOD.”

“Life Itself was Revealed.” CHRIST is HIMSELF the WORD of Life. And how was This Life Revealed? “It Existed from the Beginning.” 

Life Itself was therefore Revealed in the Flesh. For the WORD Appears to the heart Alone, while Flesh is Visible to Bodily Eyes as Well. We had the Means to See the Flesh, but We had No Means of Seeing the WORD. 

The Disciples Saw Our LORD in the Flesh, Face to Face; They Heard the Words HE Spoke, & In Turn Proclaimed the Message to Us. So We too Have Heard, although We Have Not Seen.

Are We Less Favoured than Those who Both Saw & Heard? If that were so, why should John add: “so that U too may have Fellowship with Us?” They Saw what We have Not Seen; & yet We Have Fellowship with Them, because We & They Share the Same Faith. Our Fellowship is with GOD the FATHER & JESUS CHRIST HIS Son. And John Wrote This to Make Our Joy Complete — Complete in that Fellowship, in that Love & in that Unity.

The Evangelist John is Rightly Celebrated soon after Christmas Day. The Opening Lines of His Gospel Sum Up in a Few Words what We are Celebrating at Christmas, ‘the WORD Became Flesh & Dwelt Among Us.’ 

This, the Last of the four Gospels to be Written, is Based on the Eye Witness Testimony of the Man Described as the Disciple JESUS Loved. This Gives the Impression that JESUS Loved This Disciple More than All the Others. 

What Makes This Particular Disciple Special is that He Received & Responded to the Love of JESUS More Fully than All the Others Did. He was the only Male Disciple Present at the Foot of the Cross, Faithful when Others had Shown Themselves to be Unfaithful. 

His Faithful Love Brought Him to the Empty Tomb Quicker than Peter; His Faithful Love Gave Him the Insight to Recognize the True Meaning of the Empty Tomb before Anyone Else Understood Its Meaning, ‘He Saw & Believed.’ His Example Encourages All of Us to Give Ourselves Fully to JESUS as HE has Given HIMSELF Fully to Us.

We may Think that in fact JESUS Loved & Loves All HIS Disciples Equally. HE Said to Them as a Group, & Indeed Says to Us also, ‘As the FATHER has Loved ME, so I have Loved U.’ We are All HIS Beloved Disciples.


   Good Morning

Have a pleasant day

Happy feast of St. John