HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN , APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

Homily for the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist.

1 John 1:1-4; John 20:2-8

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, today being the third day of the Octave of Christmas, is dedicated to Saint John, the disciple whom Jesus loved the most. 

Saint John stood by the cross with Mary. He was the one who believed when he saw the empty tomb. He was chosen to remain with the Christian community for a long time as a witness of God’s love. 

Saint John is particularly important to honor during Christmas because much of what we know about Jesus comes from him. He wrote one of the four gospels and various letters in the bible. 

John was a witness to the Eternal Son of the Father taking on flesh for us to see. As we honor Saint John, it is good to look at Christmas from his perspective.  He pondered the great mystery of the Incarnation of God throughout his life. He pondered the reality that this man whom he came to know personally and intimately existed from before time and was a member of the Most Holy Trinity. For John, the Incarnation was particularly real and overwhelming in a personal and transforming way. 

For decades afterward, John dedicated his life to the spreading of the Good News. He dedicated his life to pondering the great mystery by allowing himself to see, more clearly, that the human being with whom he walked and talked, was both God and man. He never fully exhausted this great mystery but was continually been in awe of what he experienced, especially, as he celebrated the Holy Eucharist. 

Friends in Christ, We too are drawn into a new way of discipleship as we contemplate what God has done in the life of Saint John. God may we come to know you more deeply through all that Saint John has written and may we always imitate his example of a beloved disciple through Christ our Lord, Amen. 

Saint John, pray for us.

Merry Christmas to you all