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Gospel of John 20:1a, 2-8
1st Letter of John 1:1-4
Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life - for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life.....
Today we celebrate the feast day of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. The youngest of Jesus' apostles, he was chosen to care for the Blessed Virgin Mary after Jesus died. Most likely the John we remember today is not the same John who wrote the gospel or three epistles.
Word of Life made visible The apostles touched Jesus in the flesh. They listen to him, spoke with him, witnessed miracles by him, and even dined with him at the Last Supper. They understood he was the word of life made visible even if only for a brief 33 years. Through the Holy Spirit, the apostles enthusiastically preached and taught the Christian message. Thousands would convert to Christianity, eventually millions 2000 years later.
What if you were one of the early apostles? How would you proclaim Christ's message? Would you be like John the Baptist and baptize the converted in the Jordan River? Would you write letters to the Christian communities like Paul? Would you invite the Gentiles as well as the Jews to worship? Would you travel or stay put in your chosen community? How would you spread the Word of Life?
The Word of Death? It saddens me when I read about people turning away from Christ. The Word of life is more like death to their ears, minds and hearts. Recently, a local elementary school instated a rule that no one could wear red or green during the Christmas season. Everything related to Christmas was banned - no trees, no gifts, no parties, and definitely nothing religious. What kind of message does this convey? Christmas is offensive to a minority of unbelievers. Christmas is something that should be privately observed and not publicly celebrated. Anyone who's read The Hunger Games trilogy may think of the rigid, militaristic structure of District 13 where everything was sanitized, scheduled, and lacked warmth or room for creative expression. Do we want our schools and public spaces to turn into District 13? I certainly hope not!
We need Christ in our homes and our schools. God needs to remain a strong moral presence in our lives. We should not allow the "isms" to wipe away our beliefs. Worshipping the God of the Superficial is not life-giving but life-wilting! When we become wimps for Christ, and decide to stay quiet so we don't offend anyone, we are only hurting our message. The apostles were ridiculed, spat at and even killed for their Christian convictions but this didn't stop them! We need to follow their examples of resilience. Evangelization is not always comfortable and can be tough, but paganism has always been a great force to recon with!
As Catholic Christians, let us pray, witness and advocate. Let us not be beaten up by the anti-religious sentiment sweeping the globe. The Word of Life is worth fighting for.
-J.
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