1 John 1:1-4 / John 20:2-8
During His ministry on earth, Jesus brought three of His disciples to profound moments of revelation like the raising of the dead girl, the Transfiguration, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, etc.
Those three are Peter, James and his brother John, whose feastday we are celebrating today.
St. John is often identified as the author of the fourth gospel, as well as the disciple that Jesus loved and most probably the youngest of the apostles.
Also while the other apostles were martyred when they went forth to proclaim the Good News, St. John, according to some accounts, died of old age.
As he came to realize that he was the last of the apostles to be still alive, St. John wrote the gospel and the letters with the primary objective of stating and proclaiming the true identity of Jesus.
In the gospel that he wrote, St. John stated clearly that Jesus is the Divine Word, that He is God, and that He is the Word-made-flesh.
In his letters, St. John reiterated that the Word, which is Jesus, existed since the beginning, and became man.
St. John and the other apostles witnessed this, and more importantly, the Word is life.
St. John wants to proclaim this over and over again, so that those who hear and believe this will be in union with those who had seen Jesus in the flesh.
As we celebrate the Christmas event, we also come into union with the faith of the apostles and the generations of faithful who believe that Jesus is the God-became-man and the Saviour who came to save us and free us from our sins.
May we also hold firm to the faith and proclaim the Good News of salvation and that Jesus is the Saviour who came to seek and save what was lost.