Feast of Saint
John
Lectionary:
697
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.
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
PsalmPs 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!
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!
GospelJn
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.
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.
John, the other disciple,
who reached the tomb first, saw and believed
Meditation: What was it like for those who encountered the Son of God
in human form? John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote his gospel as an
eye-witness of the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, and
who died and rose for our salvation. John was the first apostle to reach the
tomb of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning. Like the other disciples, he was not
ready to see an empty tomb and to hear the angel's message, Why do you seek the living among
the dead (Luke 24:5)?
What did John see in the tomb that led him to believe in the resurrection of
Jesus? It was certainly not a dead body. The dead body of Jesus would have
disproven the resurrection and made his death a tragic conclusion to a glorious
career as a great teacher and miracle worker. When John saw the empty tomb he
must have recalled Jesus' prophecy that he would rise again after three days.
Through the gift of faith John realized that no tomb on earth could contain the
Lord and giver of life.
John in
his first epistle testifies: What
we have seen, heard, and touched we proclaim as the word of life which existed
"from the beginning" (1
John 1:1-4). John bears witness to what has existed from all eternity. This
"word of life" is Jesus the word incarnate, but also Jesus as the
word announced by the prophets and Jesus the word now preached throughout the
Christian church for all ages to come. One thing is certain, if Jesus had not
risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples, we would never have heard of
him. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into
people radiant with joy and courage. The reality of the resurrection is the
central fact of the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the
Lord gives us "eyes of faith" to know him and the power of his
resurrection. The greatest joy we can have is to encounter the living Christ
and to know him personally as our Savior and Lord.
"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."
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