Reflection for MONDAY, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.
By
Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore
Today's Word
John 20:2
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved,and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Today's Reflection
The gospel of John reached its final form around AD 90–110, and it is the fourth of the four gospels.
The purpose of this gospel, as stated by John himself, is to show that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the Son of God, and that believers in Him might have eternal life.
St. John is often identified as the disciple that Jesus loved, and in the gospel of today, he went into the empty tomb, he saw and he believed.
It was then that he believed that Jesus has risen from the dead, and that Jesus is truly Lord and God.
The gospel of John was written so that we too might come to believe in the Risen Christ and be saved.
In another part of the gospel of John, Jesus was quoted as saying that blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
Hence we walk in faith and not so much by sight, and it is by faith that we believe that Jesus is the Risen Lord and our divine Saviour.
And it is also by faith that we live our lives in Christ and to see everything with the eyes of faith.
May our lives be a reflection of the Risen Christ, and may others come to believe in Jesus by the way we live our lives.
Saint of the Day
St. John, the Apostle of love
The Apostle of Love was staunchly courageous in the face of extreme fear and danger.
Love…
… desires to be with the pain of the One who is loved.
… defies every hurdle to be joined to the suffering of the One who is loved.
… breaks itself completely to have a share in the anguish of the One who is loved.
St John, the Apostle of Love, was given this place to be closest to the Cross of Jesus!
It’s a point to be noted, that the only other person who was given this unique privilege of being closest, both, to the Heart and Cross of Jesus…
… was our Blessed Mamma Mary – the Supreme Apostle of Love!
… She was closest to the heart of Jesus, nurturing and nourishing Her tender Babe
… She was closest to the Cross of Jesus, sharing and suffering the pain of Her beloved Child.
YES… An Apostle of Love can be made and moulded only in these two unique places…
… Near the Heart of Jesus and near the Cross of Jesus.
Love longs to be close to the Heart…
Love drives every fear of the Cross.
Love seeks to kiss the Heart…
Love impels to embrace the Cross!
Blessed Mamma Mary and St John invite us, with much tenderness and affection:
“Come my Child… Come my brother and sister…
… Be an Apostle of Love – close to the Heart and Cross of Jesus”
GOD BLESS YOU
Good morning. Have a nice safe day
Happy Feast Of St. John the Apostle.