HE SAW AND BELIEVED
Introduction
Close to our Lord, obsessed by love. These may will be the marks of John, the Evangelist. He had experienced in his person what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love in return. And Jesus was the Lord, God’s Son! In later life, he was driven by this love, as his Gospel and his first letter reveal to us. He was the man who preached love; the words he used, the urgency and insistence with which he spoke cannot come but from a man who lived this love deeply and who felt that this should be the mark too, of the Christian communities.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, you are love itself.
We know that you loved us first
before we could ever love you.
Let this unforgettable experience
of your “beloved apostle,” John
become also our deep and lasting experience.
May the love you have shown us
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
move us to love you very deeply in return
and overflow on all those we meet in life.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: 1 JOHN 1:1-4
Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life—for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Responsorial PSALM: 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. R.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory. R.
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name. R.
Alleluia Cf. Te Deum
Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: JOHN 20:1A and 2-8
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
Commentary
John outran Peter and reached the tomb first; but he did not enter. He let Peter enter first and then followed him. That’s not the John we have known until now: This son of thunder was competitive – he plotted, with his brother, to siphon off the most prestigious seats in the Kingdom (Mt 20:21). He was rivalrous – he debated as to who among the disciples was the greatest (Lk 9:46). He was jealous – he silenced someone who was healing in the name of Jesus, just because he did not belong to their group (Lk 9:49). He was sacrificial – he wanted Jesus to invoke fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans (Lk 9: 54). When and how did John learn to respect authority, give way to Peter, and walk behind? Perhaps he learned it in the Upper Room, at the first Eucharist. There, leaning on the breast of Jesus, John heard Jesus’ heartbeat, and emerged as a transformed man.
Intercessions
– Lord Jesus, make us understand and put into practice that the core of the Gospel is love for you and for one another, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, may our words and actions bear witness that we believe and rejoice in you as our risen Lord, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, make us happy people, who feel secure because we know that we live in your presence, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Father,
bread and wine are the signs
in which your Son gives himself to us today.
May these gifts be, at the same time,
the signs in which we place ourselves
at your disposal.
May we have the courage to reach out
to our neighbors far and near,
our brothers and sisters whom you love
and whom we love
in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Our living and loving God,
who can nourish our love better
than he who spoke of it to us,
your Son, Jesus Christ?
Like him, who strengthens us by his body and blood,
may we respond to the warmth of your love
by caring for our brothers and sisters,
even at the expense of ourselves.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
John is the apostle who insists that we should love one another as Jesus loves us. Jesus asks us to live in him as he lives in us. May we remain and grow in this love, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!