REFLECTION/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST 27TH DECEMBER 2023

REFLECTION/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST 27TH DECEMBER 2023

1John 1:1-4; Ps.97; John 20:2-8

The Power of Friendship

Today we celebrate the feast of St. John the Apostle who is often identified as the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. It is not certain why he is so called but one thing is clear that this beloved disciple was always with the Lord. He was a faithful friend who not only formed part of the inner circle of Jesus but remained committed to the Lord during His passion and after His death.

John was devoted to the Lord not only because he believed him to be the Messiah but also because he saw the Lord as a friend. His gospel is the most theological of all the gospels as it is most centered on understanding Jesus as God. The gospel explores varieties of images as a means of expressing the relationship between Jesus and God. For example, one of the unique features of John’s gospel is the frequent use of the emphatic “I am” (ego eimi) on the lips of Jesus.

The “I am” declarations of Jesus in John’s gospel concern not only Jesus’ relationship to God but also how we are to relate with Jesus. So, when Jesus said that he is the light of the world, he was not only revealing his divine authority but also telling us that unless we are in him, we live in darkness. When we realize that only John’s gospel contains the six “I am” sayings of Jesus, then we come to understand it is John who best teaches us how be close to Jesus because he was intimately close to him too.

Jesus wants us to relate with him as a friend just as John did. Friendship is something really beautiful. True friends are always committed to pleasing each other; true friends are friends in need. When husband and wife see themselves as friends, it becomes easy to be committed to each other. In the same vein, when we see the Lord as a friend, obeying his commandments becomes easy and pleasurable. If I take Jesus to be my friend, talking to him (prayer) will be something I will do often and with delight.

Jesus has already assured us that he sees us as friends when he said (in the same gospel of John): no longer do I call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master’s business is. Instead I call you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from my Father (Jn.15:15).

Obviously, the level of our commitment to Jesus is dependent on how much we see him as a friend. Just as it happened with John, Jesus always give his faithful friends the gift of his mother to be their mother also. He also gives his friends to his mother. You see, to be a friend of Jesus is to be connected with everything about him. As we resolve to make our friendship with Jesus more sincere and cordial, let us also make it a point of duty to also be faithful friends to those around us because “whenever you did this to the least of my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt.25:40). So, your claim of friendship with Jesus will be false if you betray your brother or your sister