ST. JOHN, Evangelist

Friday, December 27, 2024

ST. JOHN, Evangelist, Feast

Introduction

Close to our Lord, obsessed by love. These may will be the marks of John, the Evangelist. He had experienced in his person what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love in return. And Jesus was the Lord, God’s Son! In later life, he was driven by this love, as his Gospel and his first letter reveal to us. He was the man who preached love; the words he used, the urgency and insistence with which he spoke cannot come but from a man who lived this love deeply and who felt that this should be the mark too, of the Christian communities.

Opening Prayer

Lord God, you are love itself.
We know that you loved us first
before we could ever love you.
Let this unforgettable experience
of your “beloved apostle,” John
become also our deep and lasting experience.
May the love you have shown us
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
move us to love you very deeply in return
and overflow on all those we meet in life.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Intercessions

–   Lord Jesus, make us understand and put into practice that the core of the Gospel is love for you and for one another, we pray:

–   Lord Jesus, may our words and actions bear witness that we believe and rejoice in you as our risen Lord, we pray:

–   Lord Jesus, make us happy people, who feel secure because we know that we live in your presence, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Father,
bread and wine are the signs
in which your Son gives himself to us today.
May these gifts be, at the same time,
the signs in which we place ourselves
at your disposal.
May we have the courage to reach out
to our neighbors far and near,
our brothers and sisters whom you love
and whom we love
in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our living and loving God,
who can nourish our love better
than he who spoke of it to us,
your Son, Jesus Christ?
Like him, who strengthens us by his body and blood,
may we respond to the warmth of your love
by caring for our brothers and sisters,
even at the expense of ourselves.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

John is the apostle who insists that we should love one another as Jesus loves us. Jesus asks us to live in him as he lives in us. May we remain and grow in this love, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reflection:

27 December 2024

John, Apostle, Evangelist
Gospel: John 20:1a and 2-8

You are risen and have conquered sin and death

The shepherds hastened to see the newborn Jesus with the animals. They saw and believed. The same Jesus was crucified and was buried, and John hurried with Peter to his grave, which was only an empty tomb. He saw and believed.

This same Jesus comes to us in bread and wine as we, the living body of Christ, celebrate his Memory. We see the bread, we see the wine, but what do we behold and believe?

The same Jesus gave us the command to love others as he had loved us, others who were created in the image and likeness of God. But what do we see when we behold these living images of God? Are we able to see in whose likeness each of them was created? What do you believe in?

Jesus, let me hear you say that I too am your beloved, and let me rest on your chest. Help me to see and believe: that you came and lived as one of us, that you are risen and have conquered sin and death, that you are present with us in the holy sacrament, and that you are always with us whenever we gather in your name. Amen.

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27 December 2024

Feast of St. John the Apostle, Evangelist

John 20: 2-8

Becoming Beloved Disciples Today

Today’s Gospel offers a meditation on the Beloved Disciple, often identified as the apostle John. While the Gospel of John never explicitly names him, the Beloved Disciple represents a deeper reality—the new community of faith formed around Jesus.

At the foot of the Cross, we see him as a powerful symbol: the Beloved Disciple standing with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary represents the Old Covenant, and the Beloved Disciple signifies the New Covenant community. When Jesus entrusts Mary and the Beloved Disciple to each other, He bridges the Old and New, uniting faith and life. This unity reminds us that we cannot separate God’s enduring promises in the Old Testament from the fulfilment in Christ.

In the Resurrection account, the Beloved Disciple sees and believes upon reaching the empty tomb. He perceives the presence of Jesus’ novelty and power. Later, during the miraculous catch of fish, the Beloved Disciple recognises the Lord and declares, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7). His faith inspires Peter to grow, ultimately transforming him into a Beloved Disciple.

Today, we are called to be Beloved Disciples—people of faith who see with eyes of love. Amid a world that often divides faith and daily life, we are invited to integrate these fully, drawing strength from the Word and Sacraments. The Beloved Disciple’s journey inspires us to cultivate a deep, personal relationship with Christ and to lead others to Him through our witness.

Becoming Beloved Disciples Today - Youtube