Dec
27
Revealing the Mystery of the Word
December 27, 2007 |
Everyone knows about St. John the Evangelist - wide receiver catches a touchdown pass and we all see the sign (”John 3:16″). Foul ball gets hit into the stands - same sign. Guy shooting a free throw - same sign.
But too often, we hear St. John in the liturgy or read him in our scripture reading and we realize we can only understand him (if at all) by really concentrating on his writing. But understanding him is well worth the effort and the journey. And the more we read him, the better our insight. And we realize that the beauty and power of his writing can only come from divine revelation and being intimately connected with Christ.
In order to really grasp St. John, we need to look at his extraordinary life. He wrote one gospel, three epistles, and the Book of Revelation. He was with Christ at his Transfiguration, his Agony in the Garden, and his Crucifixion. He was the only apostle to stand by Christ through Calvary. He was the first to the tomb on Easter Sunday (beating St. Peter in what must have been one heck of a footrace). He was entrusted by Christ with his mother - thus allowing the Blessed Virgin Mary to become the mother of us all. And he lived into his nineties - providing a vital link between the Apostle Generation and the second and third generations of Christians.
He had an unprecedented perspective on Christ and allowed Christ to use him to spread the deeper and more profound aspects of the divine message. St. John has been indispensable in communicating the existence and nature of Christ’s kingdom - and getting people to believe.
Anyone who calls himself a servant of Christ must read and understand St. John. His writings are the most difficult in all of the scriptures but it reveals the depth of Christ’s love for us and what he desires of us. St. John provides some of the most uplifting of messages and the most depressing of warnings. But, we should always come away from his writings with a more fervent hope, deeper faith, and greater love for Christ, his Church and our fellow man.
Through St. John’s writings, Christ assures us that we will share in his divine love as he shared in our humanity. What a message! What a promise!
Today’s liturgical prayer proclaims - “God our Father, you have revealed the mysteries of your Word through Saint John the apostle. By prayer and reflection may we come to understand the wisdom he taught.” Reading St. John may not be the easiest thing to do - but if we pray and reflect, Christ will reveal to us the wisdom taught by St. John - the wisdom of the mysteries of the Word. And our faith will grow with this wisdom.
And the best place to start is with John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Pray this passage - reflect on this passage - let the meaning sink into and transform our souls.
And believe!
