20241227 THE LASTING JOY OF CHRISTMAS
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.
27 December 2024, Friday, St John, Apostle, Evangelist
THE LASTING JOY OF CHRISTMAS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 John 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12; John 20:2-8]
We are still within the Octave of Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate God’s love for us in Christ. But Christmas is not just about receiving love. It is also about reciprocating that love for God. Otherwise, Christmas would be an empty festival. Christmas is not just about merry-making, having fun, with plenty of food and drinks. If that were so, then after Christmas, there will be a big vacuum, like the empty tomb the disciples discovered in today’s gospel. Indeed, Christmas is a celebration of joy and unending love of God in our hearts. This is why the liturgy following Christmas day are filled with testimonies of those who repay the love of God in Christ by dying for Him in return.
Yesterday, we celebrated the martyrdom of St Stephen. For the love of Jesus, St Stephen gave witness to Him to the extent of giving up his life for Him. Stephen showed his deep intimacy with the Lord and his union with Him by imitating Him at his trial and at his death, forgiving and praying for his enemies who put him to death. Stephen was calm and at peace with himself even when under duress; “All who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15) And “filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55)
On the feast of St John, we see another way of loving our Lord. Unlike St Stephen, St John was not martyred but that did not mean that he loved Jesus less or that he suffered less. On the contrary, he was in exile for testifying to Jesus, and his entire life was lived for the love of Jesus and for his community, teaching them about the love of God in Christ and exhorting them to be united in love in Christ. This is particularly expressed in his writings.
He made it clear that the purpose of Christ’s coming was to bring us all into fellowship with God. It is this fellowship with God that will help to bring about unity among men. This is the purpose of Christ’s birth. Christmas, therefore, is a time of celebration because this Good News of peace and love is given to all peoples regardless of race, language, religion and status in life. Jesus came for all, and in a humble way in the manger, defenceless and innocent so that no one will feel threatened by His presence. Although He a king, He came in lowliness and as an ordinary man like us. He gave us the blueprint in His Sermon on the Mount, and in His teachings and parables on how to live our lives in such a way that we can live in freedom and joy. His whole desire was to bring us all into union with His Father. “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26)
Indeed, our fellowship with God is the key to unity among man. Love for God always bring about a corresponding love for our fellowmen. This is the only reason why we want to share Jesus with the world. St John 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. 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.” When we are deeply in love with God and in love with our fellowmen, our joy is complete.
Indeed, if people truly love God, there will be no fighting, no greed, no killing, no discrimination. There will only be peace and unity among peoples, regardless of race, language or religion. There will be solidarity among men because each one of us will love with the heart of God’s love. This is why St John wrote, Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.” (1 Jn 4:7-9) He concluded, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1 Jn 4:20f)
Like St John, we too must bring joy to our people. Joy is the true happiness of Christians because it is not dependent on success, rewards, things or pleasure. Joy is the fruit of love, peace and unity. Christian joy is Christmas joy, the joy of sharing and caring. And if Christmas is a time for us to share this joy with others, it is not an obligatory demand on us. Rather, it is a joy that is born from encountering the love of God in Christ Jesus. This was what St John 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.” Jesus is for us the true teacher of joy. If we speak about Jesus, it is to help others to experience the joy of fellowship with God and with each other.
So the intention of sharing Jesus is not about proselytization. It is about conversion of hearts and minds. It is a call to sensitivity towards those who are suffering innocently and those who are poor. When Jesus began His mission, it was clear that He had a preferential option for the poor. Citing from Isaiah, He read at the Synagogue, “”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Lk 4:18f) It is also a call to conscientization and repentance of heart. By awakening a godly sorrow for our selfishness and cruelty and hardened heart towards our fellowmen, and knowing that God forgives us our sins the moment we repent, it brings us great joy to be reconciled with God and with our fellowmen.
In celebrating the feast of St John, we are called to imitate him in how to fall in love with Jesus. His writings are meant to lead us to Jesus so that we can share the eternal life and love of the Holy Trinity and in turn live this life in our relationship with others. The gospel presents to us the deep love and intimacy John had with Jesus. He was among the three apostles in the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. He was the beloved disciple of our Lord. He sat next to Jesus at the Last Supper. Peter signalled to John to ask Jesus who would be the one to betray Him. Most of all, when Jesus was at the foot of the cross, John was the only disciple that stayed with Mary and the women. Indeed, John shared the life, passion and suffering of Christ intimately.
John knew Jesus personally. He wrote a gospel that is not merely a narration of the events and teachings in the life of Jesus, but he offers a deep theological reflection on the significance of His words and the main events in Christ’s life. And his purpose, as he summed up at the end of the gospel, is simply this – “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:31f)
Today’s gospel of the empty tomb is the climax of the illustration of God’s love that began at the crib at Christmas. Jesus who gave His life for us is now the giver of eternal life to those who believe in Him. We too must follow the footsteps of St John who was simply known as ‘the Beloved Disciple’ because he represents those who are committed to the Lord and love Him. Not only can we learn from St John, but from Mary Magdalene too in her devotion to our Lord. She loved our Lord and because of her love for Him, she became the apostle to the apostles in announcing the good news of new life in Christ for all. We also must be proclaimers of Joy to the world. We begin by contemplating on His love for us as John and Magdalene did.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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