Beginnings and endings

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the last day of 2018 resonate with our struggle in the temporal world that is connected to experience of eternal grace and truth.

New path

The First Letter of John warns against teaching in the world that is against Christ.

 * [2:18] It is the last hour: literally, “a last hour,” the period between the death and resurrection of Christ and his second coming. The antichrist: opponent or adversary of Christ; the term appears only in 1 John–2 John, but “pseudochrists” (translated “false messiahs”) in Mt 24:24 and Mk 13:22, and Paul’s “lawless one” in 2 Thes 2:3, are similar figures. Many antichrists: Matthew, Mark, and Revelation seem to indicate a collectivity of persons, here related to the false teachers.1

The Gospel from John begins with a poetic proclamation of Logos becoming flesh in Jesus.

 * [1:1] In the beginning: also the first words of the Old Testament (Gn 1:1). Was: this verb is used three times with different meanings in this verse: existence, relationship, and predication. The Word (Greek logos): this term combines God’s dynamic, creative word (Genesis), personified preexistent Wisdom as the instrument of God’s creative activity (Proverbs), and the ultimate intelligibility of reality (Hellenistic philosophy). With God: the Greek preposition here connotes communication with another. Was God: lack of a definite article with “God” in Greek signifies predication rather than identification.2

Cindy Costanzo shares a reminder of God’s unending love and grace for each of us at the end of the year and a beginning of a New Year.

Don Schwager quotes “The first-fruits of the Gospels”, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).

 "I think that John's Gospel, which you have enjoined us to examine to the best of our ability, is the first-fruits of the Gospels. It speaks of him whose descent is traced and begins from him who is without a genealogy... The greater and more perfect expressions concerning Jesus are reserved for the one who leaned on Jesus' breast. For none of the other Gospels manifested his divinity as fully as John when he presented him saying, 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:42), 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (John 14:6), 'I am the resurrection' (John 11:25), 'I am the door' (John 10:9), 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11)... We might dare say then that the Gospels are the first-fruits of all Scripture but that the first-fruits of the Gospels is that according to John whose meaning no one can understand who has not leaned on Jesus' breast or received Mary from Jesus to be his mother also." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 1.21–23)3

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:1-18 comments that today’s Gospel contains many statements about Jesus that can sound abstract and a little mysterious. He is the bearer of “grace and truth” (John 1:14), the light shining “in the darkness” (1:5), and the one through whom we receive life (1:12). But far from being abstract, these words don’t describe something God does in a vacuum. They describe what Jesus wants to do for each of us.

God is not far away! He dwells with you and he wants to reveal himself to you in your everyday circumstances. So as you look toward 2019, spend some time asking him where you most need to see his glory in your life. Surrender those areas to him. Ask him how he wants to show you his grace and his truth in those situations in the coming year.4

Friar Jude Winkler points us to the teachers of “docetism” as specific opponents of Jesus identified in the First Letter of John. Poetically, the Word was “towards” God always separate yet always falling more in Love. Friar Jude speaks about the Word became “sarx” in our created reality and here “pitched His tent among us”. He is full of grace and truth in the Hebrew words associated with Covenant fullness.

André H. Roosma dwells especially on the two character-traits of YaHUaH that we encounter most often in the Bible. That is the combination of the two Hebrew words חסד - chesed and אמת - ’emet; translated as “lovingkindness” and faithfulness or as grace and truth.

 And what is so wonderful about the Bible in its unity, in the New Testament we encounter this couple as well. In the first chapter of his Gospel, Yahu-chanan (John) wrote about Jesus / Yeshu‘ah:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth..Yahu-chanan (John) 1: 14
One of the remarkable character traits of Jesus / Yeshu‘ah was that He was full of grace and truth. By His entire Being and through all of His life and ministry He radiated this.5

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes that within each of us is a deep desire for union and intimacy with God, with our truest self, and with all of Creation. Because life is hard, and we’re wired for survival, we develop coping mechanisms that separate us from each other and God. Thankfully, God is patient and has many ways to reach us. Jesus is one of the clearest, most visible images of God’s love. His teaching and example model for us what it means to be both human and divine—at the same time. He dismantles our preconceived ideas about who and where God is and is not.

 Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace. —Augustine of Hippo (354-430) [1][1] Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, 10.27. This translation is taken from the Office of Readings on St. Augustine’s feast day (August 28). See http://www.liturgies.net/saints/augustine/readings.htm .6

As a year ends, our contemplation of ancient understanding of God and our contemporary experience of desire for union and intimacy sets the stage for reconciliation of the past and optimism for love in the future.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/2
2	(n.d.). John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/1
3	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
4	(n.d.). Mass Readings .... Retrieved December 31, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
5	(2015, July 10). Hallelu-YaH - The Character of God: graceful and true. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from http://www.hallelu-yah.nl/graceful-and-true.html
6	(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Family customs and caring

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our growth as experienced in our family.

Working on relationship

The Book of Sirach reminds us of the blessings in being responsible to our parents.

 * [3:1–16] Besides the virtues that must characterize our conduct toward God, special duties are enjoined, such as honor and respect toward parents, with corresponding blessings (vv. 1–9). By showing such respect especially to old and infirm parents (vv. 10–13), the sins of children are pardoned (vv. 14–15). Failure to honor father and mother is blasphemy and merits a curse from God (v. 16). Cf. Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2–3.1

Psalm 128 paints a picture of the home of the faithful.

The Letter to the Colossians presents kindness, humility and patience as practices to renounce vice.

 * [3:5–17] In lieu of false asceticism and superstitious festivals, the apostle reminds the Colossians of the moral life that is to characterize their response to God through Christ. He urges their participation in the liturgical hymns and prayers that center upon God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Col 3:16).2

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus absence from His parents to do the work of His Father invites us to consider why the Evangelist has included this episode in the Gospel.

 * [2:41–52] This story’s concern with an incident from Jesus’ youth is unique in the canonical gospel tradition. It presents Jesus in the role of the faithful Jewish boy, raised in the traditions of Israel, and fulfilling all that the law requires. With this episode, the infancy narrative ends just as it began, in the setting of the Jerusalem temple.3

Maureen McCann Waldron reflects on the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family, remembering how Jesus grew up in the normal busyness of family life, how he was shaped as a person by both Mary and Joseph.

 Our faith lives and our family lives converge in the most ordinary places.  Sacred times happen around the kitchen table, putting our children to bed for the night, or perhaps if they are grown, in phone calls to catch up with each other’s lives.  Jesus is present and joyful in the family traditions and rituals we have developed, in our prayers together before dinner, and even in special new customs we may have created for our adult children and their families during the holidays.
The laundry room, the kitchen table, a casual stroll together around the neighborhood are all places to recognize God present and active and drawing us ever closer to God’s own heart.4

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' humility shows us his divinity,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

 "The Lord's coming every year to Jerusalem for the Passover with his parents is an indication of his human humility. It is characteristic of human beings to gather to offer God the votive offerings of spiritual sacrifices, and by plentiful prayers and tears to dispose their Maker toward them. Therefore the Lord, born a human being among human beings, did what God, by divine inspiration through his angels, prescribed for human beings to do. He himself kept the law which he gave in order to show us, who are human beings pure and simple, that whatever God orders is to be observed in everything. Let us follow the path of his human way of life. If we take delight in looking upon the glory of his divinity, if we want to dwell in his eternal home in heaven all the days of our lives (Psalm 27:4), it delights us to see the Lord's will and to be shielded by his holy temple. And lest we be forever buffeted by the wind of wickedness, let us remember to frequent the house, the church of the present time, with the requisite offerings of pure petitions." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.19)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 3:2-6,12-14 notes that many of us are already living out Sirach’s exhortation caring for ill, disabled, or aged family members.

 If you are currently caring for an elderly loved one, take heart! God is pleased by your efforts and is pouring out grace on you. If you are on the receiving end, know that you are a blessing to your loved ones. If you anticipate a time when you will need to do more for your parents, don’t worry. Everything you do to honor and care for them will bless you.6

Friar Jude Winkler hears Sirach proclaim that God established the family and the responsibilities of members with it. The Letter to the Colossians shows Stoic philosophy of establishing order in relationships even as the author goes beyond the culture of the time by including mutuality. Friar Jude connects the dots for the expression of a foreshadowing technique by Luke in Jesus 3 day absence from his family.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces the theme for his 2019 teaching, Treasures Old and New, by presenting the statement that Christianity is supposed to heal suffering and mend divides, yet it has often exacerbated the problem. Is such a religion even worth saving?

 Jesus revealed a God who is in total solidarity with humanity, even and most especially in its suffering. Shane Claiborne writes, “Jesus came to show us what God is like in a way we can touch and follow. Jesus is the lens through which we look at the Bible and the world; everything is fulfilled in Christ. There are plenty of things I still find baffling, . . . but then I look at Christ, and I get a deep assurance that God is good, and gracious, and not so far away.” [2] Let’s be honest: that is all we need to move forward 7.

Living out our responsibilities in family is the foundation for the happy home described by the psalmist and provides a buffer to survive the difficulties that are also inherent in our relationships.

References

1	(n.d.). Sirach chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/sirach/3
2	(n.d.). Colossians, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3
3	(n.d.). Luke chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 30, 2018, from http://usccb.org/bible/luke/2
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 30, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 30, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (Feast) - Mass Readings .... Retrieved December 30, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
7	(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 30, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Love takes great heart

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with love of our neighbour as witness to our experience of Christ.

Looking at the Light in all

The First Letter of John declares love of our brothers and sisters as the evidence of our living in the light.

 * [2:7–11] The author expresses the continuity and freshness of mutual charity in Christian experience. Through Christ the commandment of love has become the light defeating the darkness of evil in a new age. All hatred as darkness is incompatible with the light and Christian life. Note also the characteristic Johannine polemic in which a positive assertion is emphasized by the negative statement of its opposite.1

In the Gospel from Luke, the Jewish Ritual of redemption of the first son is a occasion for Simeon to praise God and offer Mary insight into the challenges that will come to her through the life of Jesus.

 * [2:35] (And you yourself a sword will pierce): Mary herself will not be untouched by the various reactions to the role of Jesus (Lk 2:34). Her blessedness as mother of the Lord will be challenged by her son who describes true blessedness as “hearing the word of God and observing it” (Lk 11:27–28 and Lk 8:20–21).2

Scott McClure comments that today's readings speak of word and song. In the First Reading, we hear, "But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him" (1 JN 2:5). In Psalm 96 we hear, "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all you lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name." Our very faith tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). In our faith, the Word comes first and we are urged to sing!

 We are urged to put this Word to song with our lives as the melody. God calls each of us to respond uniquely to his invitation to love. Each day presents us the chance to take the Word we have been given and put it to song. Each of the saints wrote their own melody with their lives, each faithful to the same Word; the same lyric. In this Christmas season, let us each be inspired to find the tune the best brings out God's love in us for one another.3

Don Schwager quotes “Simeon and Anna represent both sexes awaiting their Redeemer,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

 "Simeon and Anna, a man and a woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in his divinity. Figuratively speaking, this denotes the synagogue, the Jewish people, who, wearied by the long awaiting of his incarnation, were ready with both their arms (their pious actions) and their voices (their unfeigned faith) to exalt and magnify him as soon as he came. They were ready to acclaim him and say, 'Direct me in your truth and teach me, for you are my saving God, and for you I have waited all the day' (Psalm 25:5). What needs to be mentioned, too, is that deservedly both sexes hurried to meet him, offering congratulations, since he appeared as the Redeemer of both." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.18) 4

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 2:3-11 proclaims that because Jesus became one of us, we now know what love looks like in real-life situations.

 On every page of the Gospels, he has shown us that love is about making concrete decisions to put other people’s interests before our own. He showed this by dining with people no one else wanted to associate with (Luke 19:1-10). Or feeding people who were hungry (John 6:1-15). Or asking someone suffering in silence to articulate what he needs (Luke 18:35-43). Or forgiving someone who has sinned grievously (John 8:1-11).
If this list makes it sound as if Jesus has set the bar too high for you, don’t worry. Jesus knows your strengths and weaknesses, and he is ready to help you. You don’t have to figure out how to love on your own. Jesus’ own love, his creativity, and his compassion can become your love, creativity, and compassion. Slowly. Gradually. Over time and through trial and error.5

Friar Jude Winkler explores the change in the theology from the Gospel of John to the First Letter of John. The vertical and horizontal dimension of our faith are required for us to be full. Simeon's Nunc Dimittis, (Luke 2:29-32) precedes the prophecy to Mary of tension and difficult times in her witness to Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, finds a contemplative practice helpful to connect with the loving Source within ourselves and then expand that awareness to others.

 Take some time to rest in God’s presence. Allow God’s loving, compassionate gaze to soften your heart. Notice any sensations in your body, if you feel tension or resistance, warmth or release. Send loving attention to each of those places. If you feel pain or sorrow, know that God is intimately present with suffering. You are not broken or damaged. As James Finley often says, “You are not what has happened to you. Only Love has the final word in who you are.”
Draw upon this Love in yourself. Be filled to overflowing with Love. Gradually turn your gaze outward, picturing people you know and strangers you’ve never met, faces around the world. Imagine Love gazing back at you from their eyes. Return their gazes with Love. God—who is Love—is with and in each of you6.

Meeting the challenge of loving our brothers and sisters may be helped by contemplation of Jesus example, Mary’s struggle and our meditation that opens our eyes to the God-given light in the other.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 29, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/2
2	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 29, 2018, from http://usccb.org/bible/luke/2
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 29, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 29, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). 5th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord - Mass Readings .... Retrieved December 29, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 29, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Escape the time of no consolation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to contemplate the conditions that cause us to let fear dominate love and generate violent action toward others.

Fear in the city

The First Letter of John proposes a dualism of good and evil in which Christ is the Way through whom our connection with sin is broken.

 * [1:8–10] Denial of the condition of sin is self-deception and even contradictory of divine revelation; there is also the continual possibility of sin’s recurrence. Forgiveness and deliverance from sin through Christ are assured through acknowledgment of them and repentance.1

In the Gospel from Matthew, the inclusion of Jesus in the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, because of the fear of Herod, is avoided as the Spirit guides Joseph to escape with the family to Egypt.

 * [2:18] Jer 31:15 portrays Rachel, wife of the patriarch Jacob, weeping for her children taken into exile at the time of the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom (722–21 B.C.). Bethlehem was traditionally identified with Ephrath, the place near which Rachel was buried (see Gn 35:19; 48:7), and the mourning of Rachel is here applied to her lost children of a later age. Ramah: about six miles north of Jerusalem. The lamentation of Rachel is so great as to be heard at a far distance.2

Luis Rodriguez, S.J. is afraid we have the agility to jump straight to the self-absolutizing stage and, once there, we can easily be tempted to sacrifice others to our own advancement. We can and at times do hurt people (“Innocents”?) in order for ourselves to look better and to improve our position or status. Being aware of this real risk, we can profit from considering once more with Ignatius of Loyola the Lord’s standard or program diametrically opposite to that of Satan, one that leads us through poverty/simplicity to not seeking being honored and to acknowledging humbly before God our position as creatures.

 I wonder how many people today would consider that the Holy Family were refugees, having had to leave their homeland to escape the violence that threatened them at home. Refugees do not leave their homeland on a whim, but rather seeking to live in security. They leave behind everything, except their human dignity, which we all –individuals and governments– need to respect.3

Don Schwager quotes “The first martyrs of Christ,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

 "In Bethlehem therefore all the babies were slain. These innocents who died then on Christ's behalf became the first martyrs of Christ. David refers to them when he says, 'From the mouths of nursing babies you have perfected praise because of your enemies, that you might bring ruin to the enemy' (Psalm 8:2). ... For in this persecution even tiny infants and nursing babies were killed on Christ's behalf and attained to the consummate praise of martyrs. Meanwhile the wicked king Herod was destroyed, he who had usurped the realm to defend himself against the king of the heavens. Thus it is that those blessed babes have deservedly lasted beyond others. They were the first who were worthy to die on Christ’s behalf." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 6.2)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 2:13-18 concedes that our fears probably won’t take us as far as Herod’s fears took him. But there are plenty of other ways fear can harm us and the people around us. More than anything else, they can convince us that there is no way out. We can feel so bound by fear that we can’t even imagine a life free of it.

 You don’t have to be ruled by fear—especially hidden, buried fear! Take some time today to ask Jesus if there are some unacknowledged fears in your life, and then see what comes to mind. If you detect something operating under the surface, ask him to help you. You might not feel any different at first, but don’t give up—keep asking!

Friar Jude Winkler shares the change in theology in the dualism of 1 John compared to the Gospel of John. Herod was a paranoid megalomaniac who killed his wife, three sons and brother in law. Slaughter of children is not beyond his possibility. Friar Jude notes that Matthew was able to apply suffering of the innocent and unborn of Rachael’s time to Jesus life to support the call to care for the weakest in society.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, suggests that there are good, beautiful, and true gems in Christianity worth holding on to. At the same time, there are many unhelpful and even harmful parts of what has passed for Christianity that we need to move beyond.

 One of Richard’s foundational convictions is that God—who is Love—is with and in us and all of creation. But we’ve been conditioned or taught to see ourselves as separate from God and each other. Contemplation opens our hearts to experience this union and become an embodied presence of healing and creativity in our world. As Quaker author and elder Parker Palmer suggests, ask these important questions: “What do we want to let go of? What do we desire to give ourselves to?”6

Reaction to our fear, without the counsel of the Spirit, threatens to take us away from our journey to holiness. When fear and love confront, love always wins.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 28, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/1
2	(n.d.). John, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 28, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/2:33
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 28, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 28, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Mass Readings and .... Retrieved December 28, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(n.d.). 2019 Daily Meditations Theme - Old and New: An Evolving Faith. Retrieved December 28, 2018, from https://cac.org/2019-daily-meditations/

Shared certainty

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to listen to the message of the Evangelist John and the contemplate the certainty of his experience of Jesus, fully human and fully divine.

Experience reality

The First Letter of John is the apostles’ witness to the incarnation of life by their experience of the historical Jesus.

 * [1:1–4] There is a striking parallel to the prologue of the gospel of John (Jn 1:1–18), but the emphasis here is not on the preexistent Word but rather on the apostles’ witness to the incarnation of life by their experience of the historical Jesus. He is the Word of life (1 Jn 1:1; cf. Jn 1:4), the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible (1 Jn 1:2; cf. Jn 1:14), and was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched by the apostles. The purpose of their teaching is to share that life, called fellowship…with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, with those who receive their witness (1 Jn 1:3; Jn 1:14, 16).1

In the Gospel of John a fusion of the episodes in Matthew and Luke leaves us contemplating the revelation encountered in the empty tomb.

 * [20:1–10] The story of the empty tomb is found in both the Matthean and the Lucan traditions; John’s version seems to be a fusion of the two.2

Joan Howard connects the scene at the tomb to memories of loss and she gradually fills with joy, hope and promise. Her grief and sadness come and go, but hope and promise fill the empty spaces.

 The infant Jesus was the promise, hope and joy foretold through the centuries.  The resurrected Christ is the abiding promise, hope and joy.3

Don Schwager quotes “The Word of Life was seen and touched,” by Severus of Antioch (488-538 AD).

 "Given that this same John also said, 'No one has ever seen God' (John 1:18, 1 John 1:4:12), how can he assure us that the living Word of Life has been seen and touched? It is clear that it was in his incarnate and human form that he was visible and touchable. What was not true of him by nature became true of him in that way, for he is one and the same indivisible Word, both visible and invisible, and without diminishing in either respect he became touchable in both his divine-human nature. For he worked his miracles in his divinity and suffered for us in his humanity." (excerpt from CATENA)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 20:1-8 observes John could be elitist (Mark 9:38-41), ambitious (10:34-45), and hot headed at times (Luke 9:51-56). But he could also be humble (John 20:3-8), full of faith (20:8), and compassionate as well (13:23-25). Jesus knew all of this, and he treated John with all the patience, love, and tenderness he needed so that John’s negative traits would diminish, and his positive traits would increase.

 In a similar way, Jesus loves you. He knows you inside and out—your faults, your gifts, and your challenges—and he loves you deeply. He has the same amount of patience, love, and tenderness toward you that he has for John. He may show it differently, because you are different from John, but he still loves you with a love that will never fail.5

Peter Edmonds SJ writes that the story written by the Evangelists is at the service of the theology they contain, as they teach us about God, Christ, the Church and the demands of discipleship. The evangelists write as pastors to deepen the faith of their communities. We must also investigate the literary means through which they tell the story, the drama of the plot and the characters that are portrayed.

 It is fitting that we read this gospel during Lent and Easter when we are at our best spiritually. It took time before this gospel was accepted in early Christianity. It was regarded as a dangerous gospel, to be handled with care, because it carried two main risks. It could lead to a neglect of the humanity of Christ, as if the divine Jesus was only pretending to be human. This is known as the heresy of Docetism. It could also lead disciples to claim they could not sin, because they have already undergone judgement in their encounters with the Christ whose glory they have seen. This is known as Gnosticism. These issues are addressed in the Letters of John, which are probably to be dated after the gospel. This writer ‘declared to you what we have seen and heard’ (1 John 1:3) and warned that ‘if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves’ (1 John 1:8).6

Friar Jude Winkler recognizes how the First Letter of John resonates with the Prologue to the Gospel of John however this letter seeks to combat a heresy known as Docetism that over emphasized the divinity of Christ. Love propels the feet of the Beloved Disciple, yet Love yields to authority at the Tomb. Friar Jude notes that the true disciple falls in love with Him and lives and breathes for Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Tilden Edwards, an Episcopal priest to close this year’s theme, Image and Likeness. Edwards writes that some of the early Church Fathers well summarized the nature and purpose of our lives when they said that we are born in the image of God and meant to grow into the full likeness of God... He notes that over time each of us weaves a unique story of responsiveness to the Holy Spirit invitations and divisive spirit temptations of our lives. Each response draws us closer to or further away from consciousness and expression of our true nature in God, the nature of mutually indwelling intimacy. . . He offers a schema for noticing from where we are listening and responding at a given time.

 When we most deeply listen and respond from a third place in us, our spiritual heart, then we more easily avoid the pitfalls of rational idolatry and ego drives, while at the same time respecting the gifted place of rational-imaginative thought and ego functioning in our lives. Our gifted contemplative heart includes our capacity not only to will and intimately feel, but also to “know” deep reality more holistically, intuitively, and directly than our categorizing, thinking minds. In our heart we are immediately present to what is, just as it is, in the receptive space before our thinking mind begins labeling, interpreting, and judging things, and before our ego fears and grasping become operational.7

 The Evangelist John writes that he has ‘declared to you what we have seen and heard’. We contemplate Jesus as truly human, one with us, inviting us into fellowship with Him.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/1
2	(n.d.). John, chapter 20 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 27, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/20
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 27, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 27, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic .... Retrieved December 27, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(2014, March 21). Story, theology and drama in the Gospel of John | Thinking Faith: The .... Retrieved December 27, 2018, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/story-theology-and-drama-gospel-john
7	(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 27, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/