Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist

On this third day of the Octave of Christmas, St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, boldly proclaims the truths of the Incarnation. The Son of God has become the Son of Mary and we know His name--Jesus, Savior.  In the face of the baby born in Bethlehem, announced by the angels and worshiped by shepherds, we behold the face of God, a human face. (Col 1:15)   In the epistle reading, the Beloved Disciple is still giving joyful witness, sixty years after the Resurrection, to the Word made flesh: “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life--the life was made manifest.” (1 John 1:1-2).  Not only did his eyes, ears, and hands experience Jesus, but he loved and was loved by this Son of Man. He stood with Mary at the foot of the cross as Jesus died and was one of the first to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

But St. John is not just giving us a history lesson.  He is inviting you and me to believe in the Incarnation and the Resurrection, so that we might through our faith have fellowship with the apostles, the Church and the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.  We who did not see or hear or touch Jesus, can still believe in Him and his Resurrection and receive eternal life. We can truly enter into the JOY of the Christmas season because we have already glimpsed the Paschal mystery.