WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 27, 2023
FEAST OF ST JOHN THE APOSTLE
1 John 1:1-4
John 20:2-8
THE DISCIPLE OF LOVE: GOD DEMONSTRATING HIS LOVE FOR MANKIND.
The feast of John the beloved disciples is celebrated this Christmas season to enhance the theme of love that overshadows the coming of Christ. John is the disciple of Jesus and talks about himself being the most loved of the disciples. His writings were more on the theme of love.
In the gospel we find him with this wildly used great quotation, “For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son that whosoever believe in him will have eternal life.” John 3:16. So the theme of God’s love pervades this season of Christmas. And the greatest disciple of love is celebrated today to give credence to this theme of God’s love.
Christ’s coming to human sphere is with the aim of demonstrating God’s love for humanity. He came to gather together the scattered children, to teach us the way to the Father and to lead us to his kingdom. The intention of our God is motivated by love, love of mankind and love of us all. And God’s means of attaining and propagating this mission is through love, by his death and suffering for mankind. And he sustains this mission and life through love also.
The overriding theme in the life of Jesus is that of love of God and love of humanity. This is what John the disciples propagated in his life and writings. He is known as the disciples and apostles of love.
From the readings of today, his coming as man is motivated by love. And he came in flesh and there is no doubting this reality. John asserts that Jesus came as man, lived in the world, was in our flesh, seen, touched and yet he was the Lord of life. He brought life and killed death by his coming. And that is what is proclaimed in the celebration of Christmas. That he came in the flesh, lived among us and was like us in all things but sins. And by celebrating it, we are proclaiming Christ and making him known and loved so that our joy may be complete.
The gospel also adds to the theme of love in which we find John the beloved visiting the empty tomb of Jesus after the resurrection and declaring that life is born already and Christ out of love has defeated our most dreaded and fearful enemy which is death by his resurrection and this was done out of love and we regained our sonship out of love of God.
Our attitude and resolution is to see and believe in the love of Christ and make such love known and spread it abroad. Christmas is a season of sharing love and togetherness in the likeness of John the disciples of love.
Heavenly Father, out of love for humanity you came to redeem us. John the apostle of love, proclaimed your love and taught us to live, spread and share love. Help us to love all that you loved, to share love and live in love with one another and become disciples and propagators of love until the end of time through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
