ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord. - Te Deum

1 JOHN 1:1-4

My Soul's Beloved,

Your divine imprint is on all creation especially mankind who is the crown of Your creation. The Breath of Life, the Holy Spirit breathed into all that lives by the Creator is Your Life because He is Your Spirit. Even while our body is temporary it houses within its frail and corrupt flesh our immortal soul which is eternal and can never die. This soul is given to us by the One who has existed before the foundations of the world, before time, since the beginning. 

You came into the world, sent by Your Father not to condemn the world but to redeem it. You pierced the veil of time, drew aside the curtain, and came to us and this is why the beloved disciple, John, can say:   

Something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our hands:
the Word, who is life –
this is our subject.

You came into the world, Lord Jesus, and You will remain with us until the end of time. We believe not just because of the testimony of the Twelve who spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, but because we also have experienced Your goodness, Your mercy, Your love, and Your Presence in our lives.  You came into the world in obedience to the will of God to make the invisible God visible to us. The Apostles have told us what they saw and heard during Your public ministry. We have their witness and testimony of Your life, passion, death, glorious resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. They experience the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and all that they received we receive as well in the Sacraments You instituted. Thank You for Your living and abiding Presence with us in the Holy Eucharist and thank You for Your assurance that You will remain with us until time ceases.

What we have seen and heard
we are telling you
so that you too may be in union with us,
as we are in union
with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.

PSALM 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

JOHN 20:2-8

My Soul's Beloved,

Mary of Magdala was the first to carry the news of the empty tomb to Simon Peter and the beloved disciple and they all returned to it to confirm what she had seen. Peter, the Rock, the head of the Church, the beloved disciple which includes the entire people of God, together with Mary of Magdala representing all sinners and reminding us that every sinner has the potential to become a great saint.

As long as we run the race with Peter we can never veer from the Way of Truth that leads to Life in abundance. The empty tomb announces to the whole world that death does not have the final answer. The Son of God, the new Adam, has conquered the final frontier which is death, and vanquished it having risen triumphant from the grave crushing the head of Satan and defeating him. Death's sting is lost, death has lost its victory, and the Lamb of God has triumphed and reigns over us all.

So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.