Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
We are now two days into the season of Christmas and celebrating the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist. We are still rejoicing because Emmanuel has come. God is with us in the infant, Jesus. Today, our Psalm and Gospel encourage us to rejoice for a different reason, but one that comes full circle, that draws together the full culmination of our Catholic faith. We reflect and rejoice in the Resurrection. All in one day, in this season of Christmas, we celebrate God with us as a lowly, vulnerable baby AND God with us, conquering sin and death, as the Savior of the world.
What would it have been like to be part of the Nativity, to witness the birth of Christ? It seems oddly fitting that those who did witness Jesus’ birth - the animals present in the stable - are simple, humble creatures of our good God. And the first to be told the good news and glad tidings are shepherds—essentially outcasts of society, the socially UN-elite. Although we were not there to see Mary bringing Jesus into the world, we can carry on her mission each and every day. We can witness God’s presence in our world today and bring Jesus into the world ourselves. We can make space and bear witness among our families, among the lowly, and among all of creation.
What would it have been like to be there at the empty tomb? When I was a kid, I once asked our parish priest how he knew that Catholicism was the “right” religion. I was trying to make sense of things I was learning in school about other faith traditions and asking child-like questions about why my family was Catholic. His response: “because the tomb was empty.” Although I didn’t fully grasp the depth and wisdom of his answer at the time, it stuck with me. The disciples in today’s Gospel reading also did not yet understand the depth of what they were seeing. We can imagine their confusion, fear, curiosity, and awe. For us now, we know the end of the story and celebrate, but perhaps still carry our own confusion and fear.
Even just the last two days have been a mix of emotions. We have so much to celebrate and it is so much fun to watch our little kids express their joy, gratitude, and excitement as they experience the wonder of Christmas. But if they do not get enough rest, are overstimulated, or surrounded by a lot of people they do not see a lot, they express negative emotions in tears and meltdowns, as only kids can. We also carry the weight of family members who are unemployed, friends who are battling sickness, and prayerful remembrance of those who have gone before us.
Today, we celebrate two of the most significant events at the foundation of Catholicism. We believe that God became human because he loved us so much and then saved humanity, dying on the cross and rising from the dead, because he loved us so much. May we bask in this love, carry it with us, and share it with others so that, as St. John says “our joy may be complete.”
Abundant Blessings,
- Brandon & LeeAnn Meyer