THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Christmas Joy and a Joyful Proclamation

27th December, 2017: Remembering St. John

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

The Christmas joy continues, even as we commemorate St.John the Evangelist today. John is literally a great gift of God to us, as the name itself suggests. John refers to himself in the Gospel as the Other Disciple and that specificity gives us a guarantee of the great tradition that is behind that name and that experience.

"The Joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus," says the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (n.1). Though the Gospel reading draws our attention to the scene of resurrection, the message is all about an encounter with Christ that redefines one's life. 

When a person encounters Christ in all one's earnestness, there is a choice, a categorical choice for Christ and Christ's mission! As St. Paul affirms that it is no merit that an apostle proclaims the Word, but woe to him if he does not (1 Cor 9:16), today we see John explaining in the first reading: I am called to announce Christ, not merely because others will benefit from it; but primarily that my joy may be complete (1 Jn 1:4). 

For a Christian, a joy-filled proclamation of Christ is the only way to live his or her life - joyfully proclaiming Christ in every word, every action and every choice that is made, at every moment of one's daily life. John stands for a loving personal relationship with the Lord. It is this personal relationship that gets translated into a proclamation, by the very life that we live. It is a call that is given to each of us who has heard the Word, felt its presence and experienced it in our life. Can we say a wholehearted yes to that call?