The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer a deeper testimony of the mission of Jesus and the theological environment being addressed by John.
The reading from the First Letter of John presents The Word of Life.
* [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 John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 97 praises the Glory of God’s Reign.
* [Psalm 97] The hymn begins with God appearing in a storm, a traditional picture of some ancient Near Eastern gods (Ps 97:1–6); cf. Ps 18:8–16; Mi 1:3–4; Heb 3:3–15. Israel rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods (Ps 97:7–9) and the rewarding of the faithful righteous (Ps 97:10–12). (Psalms, PSALM 97 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John describes the Resurrection of Jesus.
* [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.
* [20:1] Still dark: according to Mark the sun had risen, Matthew describes it as “dawning,” and Luke refers to early dawn. Mary sees the stone removed, not the empty tomb.
* [20:2] Mary runs away, not directed by an angel/young man as in the synoptic accounts. The plural “we” in the second part of her statement might reflect a tradition of more women going to the tomb. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. notes a quite interesting calendar-arrangement that this feast is celebrated between two liturgical feats. Yesterday was the Feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr after the Resurrection of Jesus, and tomorrow is the Feast of the Holy Innocents which remembers the deaths of all young males under two years old in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
Two celebrations of deaths leading to life surrounding an account of the friends of Jesus finding dying as a rising. Jesus is born to share His Divine Life with all, those who seek Him and those who humanly long for His Life in all their seekings. Jesus arrived and arrives to bring us life and we continue arriving, not to find, but to be found again and again. (Gillick S.J., 2023)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4 comments that as a “firsthand” witness of Jesus’ presence and power, we have experienced the transformation that his closeness brings about—probably more than we even know! And like St. John, we can share what we have experienced.
So don’t be afraid! As John later writes, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Invite God’s perfect love to drive out from you all fear and hesitation of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Proclaim today what you have seen and heard!
“Jesus, you have transformed my life. Help me to share the good news boldly.” (Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the link between the Prologue of the Gospel of John and the Prologue of the First Letter of John that offers a way to interpret Jesus that is not Gnostic but emphasizes knowing Jesus' humanity. Mary Magdalene represents the Church looking for her lover, Christ. Even as love bows to authority at the entrance to the tomb, Friar Jude reminds us that the beloved is better.
Brian McLaren reminds us of the power of knowing and following Jesus as a prophet.
In all the ways we talk about Jesus, I hope we can get back the understanding of Jesus as prophet and let that revolutionize us. The prophet is not just somebody who reads a book and repeats what they have learned. The prophet is somebody who goes deep into themselves to hear the message that’s being birthed in the midst of their pain and their burdens and their frustrations and their sufferings and their questions and their perplexity and their disillusionments. In the foment and ferment of that inner journey, something begins to emerge, and they bring it out and they say, “I can’t just say these words. I have to demonstrate them. I’ve got to find two or three other people who see what I see so that we can do something about it.”…
I think there’s a movement that’s happening in the world. It’s happening across religions. It’s happening with secular and religious people. It’s bubbling up in the hearts of people in pain. When people who are motivated by revolutionary love in the prophetic path of Jesus come together, knowing the pain of our planet and knowing the agony of the poor, to work for peace and against injustice and racism and hate, they can transform a broken world toward beloved community to the glory of God. (McLaren, 2023)
We reflect on our experience of Christ as spiritual being, living prophet, leader on our journey.
References
Gillick S.J., L. (2023, December 27). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122723.html
John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?1
McLaren, B. D. (2023, December 27). Jesus as Prophet — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-as-prophet/
Meditation on 1 John 1:1-4. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/27/860986/
1 John, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/1?1
Psalms, PSALM 97 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/97?1
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec27
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