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The Word Among Us

Monday, December 27, 2004

Meditation
John 20:1-8

He saw and believed. (John 20:8)

John was an ordinary man, the son of a fisherman, with a limited education. Yet because of his love for Jesus and his determination to remain open to the Spirit, he left us with some of the most profound writings in all of Scripture. How did this happen? The answer is simple: John saw and believed.

From the moment he left his fishing boat, John dedicated himself to knowing Jesus better. By meditating on all he saw and heard from Jesus, John allowed the Holy Spirit to undergird his growing faith with even deeper understanding. Through his meditation, John came to see Jesus as the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, and the Light of the World-all of the messages that made their way into the gospel that bears his name.

John's story gives us great hope. For if the Holy Spirit could reveal so much to a humble fisherman from Galilee, he can surely reveal Jesus just as clearly to us! Every day, we have the opportunity to spend time in quiet reflection and meditation on Jesus. It's in this time that we can ponder Jesus' words in the gospels, ask him questions, and tell him the needs and desires of our heart. As John reclined against Jesus' breast at the Last Supper, we too can recline with Jesus, sitting in his presence and asking him to teach us more about himself.

You probably received some nice presents this Christmas. But the most important present you have been given is the opportunity to become a friend of Jesus and to grow closer to him every day. These days between Christmas and New Year's Day offer a great opportunity to make some decisions about how we are going to approach the upcoming year. Make a decision today that 2005 will be your year to seek the Holy Spirit and to ask him to reveal Jesus to you in new and exciting ways.

“Holy Spirit, you teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said. Open my spiritual eyes to see more of Jesus today. Help me to make time to read the gospels and ponder them. As the apostle John sought you each day, may I seek and find more of Jesus in my life.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, December 27, 2004 >>

St. John

1 John 1:1-4

Psalm 97

John 20:2-8

View Readings

FULLY MAN, FULLY GOD, FULLY LOVE

“...what we have looked upon and our hands have touched — we speak of the Word of Life.” —1 John 1:1

John is traditionally identified with the Beloved Disciple, on whose testimony the fourth Gospel is based (Jn 21:24). John testified that he surely could not help but speak of what he had heard and seen (Acts 4:19-20). Everything within John found joy in sharing his experience of Jesus’ love with others (1 Jn 1:3-4).

John saw Jesus. He heard Jesus’ heart beating (Jn 13:25). John stood at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus pour out His blood to save us (Jn 19:26). He was in a position to testify that “the Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14).

Even with all this experience of Jesus’ physical, human presence, John’s love for Jesus longed to go deeper. John, “the one Jesus loved” (Jn 20:2), experienced Jesus’ love so deeply that he “was caught up in ecstasy” (Rv 1:10) into the mystery of love. He encountered the divinity of Christ “in heaven” (Rv 4:2). Because of this encounter (see Rv 5:6ff), John knew that Jesus was God (Jn 1:1). His Gospel, more than any other, proclaims the divinity of Jesus. John was consumed with the desire to proclaim that the Baby Jesus in the lowly Christmas manger is the divine God enthroned in heavenly majesty.

John wrote “to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that through this faith you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31). What John saw and heard, he proclaimed “in turn to you so that you may share life” with him and Jesus forever (1 Jn 1:3). Look, hear, believe in Jesus, and live forever.

Prayer: Jesus, may I be known by others as the one You love.

Promise: “He saw and believed.” —Jn 20:8

Praise: When St. John was flogged for teaching publicly about Jesus, he responded by rejoicing that he was considered worthy of persecution for Jesus’ sake (Acts 5:40-41).