20231227 RESURRECTION FAITH PRECEDES FAITH IN THE INCARNATION
27 December 2023, Wednesday, St John, Apostle and Evangelist
First reading | 1 John 1:1-4 © |
The Word, who is life - this is our subject
Something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our hands:
the Word, who is life –
this is our subject.
That life was made visible:
we saw it and we are giving our testimony,
telling you of the eternal life
which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.
What we have seen and heard
we are telling you
so that you too may be in union with us,
as we are in union
with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 © |
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Te Deum |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 20:2-8 © |
The other disciple saw, and he believed
On the first day of the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
RESURRECTION FAITH PRECEDES FAITH IN THE INCARNATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 John 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12; John 20:2-8]
We have just celebrated Christmas, the birth of our Lord. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity took flesh when He was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation. Christmas celebrates the reality of this incarnation in the birth of our Lord. How does one come to believe in the Incarnation, that is, God assuming our humanity? St John in the beginning of his letter wrote, “Something which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is life – this is our subject.” This claim that God who is the Ultimate Ground of life and existence has taken flesh is an incredible claim.
In the order of knowledge, we proceed historically via the life and history of our Lord. He was born of Mary, raised up by Mary and Joseph as a carpenter. His childhood years were practically unknown and we have scanty information about Him. At the age of 30, He was baptized at the river Jordan by John the Baptist, which marks the beginning of His public ministry. For the next three years, we see the man Jesus preach the Word of God with authority, reveal the love, mercy and compassion of God in His words and in His deeds. He reached out to the marginalized, sinners, prostitutes and tax-collectors. His gospel was directed at the poor and the sick. He gave hope to them so much so “there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet is risen up among us; and, God has visited his people.” (KJB Lk 7:16)
Jesus in His preaching and teaching alluded to His divine identity when He told Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (Jn 14:6f) To Philip, He said, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f) He added, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (Jn 14:13)
However, even with all His miracles and teachings, we cannot presume Jesus’ divinity because He was a man like us in every way. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15) That was why He was even rejected by His townsfolk. They said, “‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.” (Mk 6:2f)
At most, we can say is that Jesus was a good man. The people whom He ministered to loved Him. He cared for the sick, the marginalized and the vulnerable. He showed them the mercy and face of God. He was a holy man and a man of God. But to arrive at the conclusion of St John who said, “That life was made visible: we saw it and we are giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father and has been made visible to us”, presupposes faith in the resurrection. Without faith in Christ’s resurrection, we cannot arrive at the Incarnation because the latter presupposes the full flowering of faith in Jesus’ divinity at the resurrection. Only because the resurrection reveals the divinity of Jesus, can we then retroject and make the astounding claim that Jesus was God right at the beginning of His life.
How can we arrive at a resurrection faith? We need to encounter the Lord in person. There are two ways to make this happen. The first is through the normal way of getting to know the Jesus of Nazareth. This was the way of the disciples of Jesus. They walked with Him. They saw Him. They heard Him preach. They lived with Him. They knew Jesus in person. They shared in His wisdom, love and compassion. The three apostles who belonged to the inner circle had the privilege of previewing His glory at the Transfiguration. Most of all, they fell in love with Him. Jesus was their saviour, mentor and teacher. Their previous knowledge of Jesus prepared them for the Easter Faith. After the initial shock at the scandal of His death, when Jesus appeared to them, they could “see” Him because their faith in Him was based on their historical encounters with the Lord. However, they all took some time to believe that the Lord was risen.
There is another way to encounter the Risen Lord over and above our historical encounter with the Lord. It is the way of love. This was the case of St John. The gospel addressed him as “the beloved disciple.” We read that whilst Peter was quiet and stunned by the discovery of the linen cloths left behind by the Lord, he was confused and did not know what to make out of it. But we read “the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.” John believed because he loved the Lord.
Love is the eyes of faith. When we love, we see more and can intuit an event. That is why mothers are sensitive to their children’s happiness and wives to their spouses. When we are in love, we are connected with our loved ones. Only those who love can truly communicate. Love is based on trust and openness. When we love, we accept whatever our beloved says without questioning their sincerity. We might help them to process but the question of personal integrity is never in doubt. Only when we do not love, do we question everything the person says because we begin with an attitude of suspicion.
So for us to arrive at the same conviction of St John, we too must come to know the Lord through a study of the historical Jesus in the scriptures. Unlike the first disciples of Jesus, we do not have the advantage of meeting the Lord in person. Nevertheless, we can still meet Him in person through bible study and most of all in contemplative prayer on the humanity of our Lord. It is through knowledge of scripture and intimacy with the Lord in prayer, that the humanity of the Lord becomes real to us. This explains why spiritual writers and mystics like St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross and St Ignatius, including our Holy Fathers, Pope John Paul and Benedict insist that the way to encounter the Lord is through the humanity of our Lord. We cannot bypass this process and jump straight into a mystical encounter because faith presupposes we already know the historical Jesus to some extent.
However, prayer and bible study is not enough; we need to hear the testimony of Christians who have encountered the Risen Lord in their lives. Listening to testimonies will help us to be open to the various and varied ways that the Risen Lord shows Himself to us. When we hear of how lives have been changed because such people encountered the Risen Lord through their illnesses and struggles, we too will know that the Lord is alive. Many have testified the power of God at work in their lives, taking away even terminal illnesses, helping them financially, growing their businesses and helping them to evangelize and bring people back to God. This was how St John gave witness in the first reading when he wrote about what he saw, heard and touched.
Finally, the way to stay in contact with the Lord is to be in fellowship with His body, the Church. Again this is what St John wrote, “What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.” The reason for the loss of faith is when we live our faith in an individualistic manner. We have weak contact with the Church, the Body of Christ and so lack the love and support of the community. Our faith cannot grow without being connected to Christ’s body, the Church.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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