27 December 2022

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

One who loves knows how the intangible can become tangible. A gesture, a word, a touch, a glance: between friends, or between a married couple, these simple, everyday actions communicate far more than appears to an outsider. To fully understand these simple physical signs, the eyes of love are required. Love can perceive the wealth of meaning that is signified, and love cherishes the tangibility of the meaning within the sign.

The apostle John cherished the tangibility of the Word of life, the Word whom he heard, whom he saw with eyes, whom he looked upon and touched with his hands. In listening, seeing, and touching the Lord Jesus, John perceived the gift of eternal life the Father has given us, because he looked with the eyes of love. Thus he saw and believed.

Today, let us meditate on the mystery of love made tangible in Jesus. Let us ask him for eyes, ears, and hands of love, that through love we might perceive the Lord’s presence in word, in sacrament, and in our neighbor.