Feast of John the Evangelist

IT is striking how much ground we cover during the Christmas Octave.

On Tuesday we gathered around the creche and there our gazed joined the gaze of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the like as we met the gaze of the infant child wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Yesterday we jumped ahead quite a bit.  On the second day of the Octave of Christmas we gathered with Paul as cloaks were laid at his feet and Stephen the Deacon was stoned the death because of his faith in the Risen Lord.

Today we are taken to the empty tomb.  In today's gospel, we run with Peter and the beloved disciple as news spread that the place where JEsus was buried is now empty and the tomb is wide open for all to see.

What an amazing journey.

Our gaze meets the infant; our gaze meets Stephen as he gives his life for Christ; our gaze falls on the empty tomb.

We are reminded in these short three days that Jesus is born for a reason.  The incarnation is the beginning, it is not the end.  We are taken to the empty tomb to remind ourselves that this child is born to not only die but to rise.

We are taken to the site of the first martyrdom in Stephen to remind ourselves what is at stake and how we are to rise with Christ  by the faith we profess.

As we celebrate the feast of John the Evangelist to day we look into his heart and experience his faith in Christ.

John gives us the gospel as well as the three letters and the book of revelation.

There is a common theme to his work as he paints the picture of Christ and gives us an insight in to the early christian communities after the resurrection and ascension.

As we ponder his words there are some common themes.  John repeats over and over again that JEsus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the way and the truth, and the one who comes to make our joy complete.

Life, light, truth, and joy resonate from every word and every page.

The story of Christ does not begin and end with the manger and the tomb, the incarnation  and the resurrection.  IT is carried forth in us as we like the beloved disciple, peer in to the empty tomb seeing and believing.

We by our belief, in our faith must carry forth the reality of introducing the world the one who is Life, Light, Truth, and Joy.

What in our life today will bear that to the world.  Our will we introduce others to this Life, Light, Truth, and Joy?

This is our task as we journey forth.  As our gaze falls on the manger and peers into the empty tomb and give witness to the martyrdom of Stephen, we must turn our gaze to those around us and let our faith shine forth the reality of Christ: Life, Light, Truth, and Joy,