Daily Gospel for Friday, 27 December 2013

Daily Gospel for Friday, 27 December 2013

“Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life.”(John 6:68, The Message).

Saint John, apostle and evangelist – Feast

Saint of the Day:

SAINT JOHN

Apostle and Evangelist

(† c. 100)

Feast

St. John, the youngest of the apostles in age, was son of Zebedee. He was called to follow Christ on the banks of the Jordan during the first days of Our Lord's ministry. He was one of the privileged few present at the Transfiguration (with Peter and James) and the Agony in the garden.

At the Last Supper his head rested on the bosom of Jesus, and in the hours of the Passion, when others fled or denied their Master, St. John kept his place by the side of Jesus, and at the last stood by the cross with Mary. From the cross the dying Saviour bequeathed his Mother to the care of the faithful apostle, who "from that hour took her to his own;" thus fitly, as St. Austin says, "to a virgin was the Virgin intrusted."

After the Ascension, St. John lived first at Jerusalem, and then at Ephesus. He was thrown by Domitian into a caldron of boiling oil, and is thus reckoned a martyr, though miraculously preserved from hurt.

Afterwards he was banished to the isle of Patmos, where he received the heavenly visions described in tine Apocalypse. He is the author of the Fourth Gospel, the Apocalypse, and three Epistles.

He died at a great age, in peace, at Ephesus, about the year 100.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Saint John, apostle and evangelist - Feast

1 John The Word of Life

1: We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3 we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our[a] joy may be complete.

Footnotes:

a. 1 John 1:4 Other ancient authorities read your

Psalm 97: The Glory of God’s Reign

1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;

    let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;

    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

    before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;

    and all the peoples behold his glory.

11 Light dawns[a] for the righteous,

    and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,

    and give thanks to his holy name!

Footnotes:

a. Psalm 97:11 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb is sown

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John The Resurrection of Jesus

20: Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

Saint John, apostle and evangelist - Feast

Commentary of the Day:

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church

Commentary on the First Letter of Saint John,1,1.3 (trans. ©Augustinian Heritage Institute, 2008)

"He saw and believed"

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, and what we have seen with our eyes, and what our hands have touched of the Word of life” (1Jn 1,1). Who touches the Word with his hands apart from the fact that “the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us” (Jn 1,14)? But this Word which was made flesh, so that it might be touched by our hands, began to be flesh from the Virgin Mary, yet it didn't begin to be the Word then, because Saint John said: “What was from the beginning”. See if his epistle isn't confirmed by his gospel, where you just recently heard: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”.

Perhaps someone will understand this about “the Word of life” as though it were a way of speaking about Christ, not as though it was the very body of Christ that was touched by our hands. See what follows: “And life itself was manifested”. Christ, then, is the Word of life. And how was life manifested? For even if it was from the beginning yet it wasn't manifested to human beings, but it was manifested to angels, who saw it and who fed on it as their bread. But what does scripture say? “Man has eaten the bread of angels” (Ps 78[77],25).

Life itself was manifested in flesh so that, by being manifested, the thing which can be seen by the heart alone may also be seen by the eyes, so that it may heal hearts. For the Word is seen by the heart alone, but flesh is also seen by bodily eyes. We were able to see flesh, but we were unable to see the Word. The Word was made flesh... so that what was in us whereby we might see the Word would be healed... “And we are witnesses,” Saint John says, “and we announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was manifested in us” (1Jn 1,2)

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