Sacramental experience

1 John 1:1-4; Psalm 97 Rejoice in the Lord, you just; John 20: 1a, 2-8;

Today we celebrate the feast of John the Evangelist.  He was the one who wrote the gospel of John, considered to be the writer of the letters of John and is known best as the one standing at the foot of the cross with Mary and the one who rushes to the tomb early Easter Morning. 

What was John's formation as a disciple and future apostle? 

He, like the rest of the apostles, was formed by watching one they knew and loved, one they dined with and walked with, one they encountered in a variety of settings, suffer and die.  The formation of the apostles was deeply rooted in experiencing the depth of love of Jesus through his willingness to embrace the cross, to carry the cross, and to be crucified upon the cross. 

John, unlike the rest of the apostles, refused to abandon Jesus.  He refused to live a life of denial; he did not run from the love of Jesus but embraced it head on and stood at the cross and stared it in the face.   John allowed the love of Jesus to penetrate every part of his soul.  It was a truly sacramental experience, an outward sign of inward reality that bestowed grace upon grace.

Thus, at the beginning of the first letter John can write:

"This is what we proclaim to you:

 what was from the beginning,

 what we have heard,

what we have seen with our eyes,

what we have looked upon

and our hands have touched-

we speak of the word of life.  

This life became visible; 

we have seen and bear witness to it,

and we proclaim to you the eternal life 

that was present to the Father

and became visible to us.

what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you

so that you may share life with us.

This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

This is what the Sacraments of the Church are; they give the grace to bestow and deepen that fellowship with the Most Holy Trinity and deepen our fellowship with one another, in Jesus Christ, the one who became sensible to all. 

True fellowship is both with God and with one another; only in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, can this fellowship be realized fully.