Two days ago, we celebrated the birth of Christ. Today, being the feast of St. John, the Gospel presents us with the episode of the empty tomb, which is one of the many evidences, confirming the resurrection of Christ. The Liturgy of the Christmas season thus encourages us to follow the Lord from birth to death and to his resurrection.
The Unity of the Paschal Mystery of Christ
The fact that we are hearing about the resurrection event at the heart of the Christmas season shows us how the two events are connected to one another. In fact, the full significance of the incarnation is revealed only in light of the resurrection. The resurrection confirms the truth of the incarnation as a historical event. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, his incarnation would have lacked ultimate significance. By rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that He is not merely a moral teacher or prophet but truly the Son of God, who took on human nature to bring us salvation.
For John the disciple, seeing and believing in the resurrection solidified his faith in the truth of everything Jesus had revealed. This included the mystery of the incarnation. The resurrection confirmed that God’s decision to dwell among us in the flesh was not an isolated event. It was part of His eternal plan to restore humanity.
Seeing and Believing in God’s Love
In today’s gospel we could perceive the reaction of Mary Magdalene, as she discovered that the tomb of Jesus was empty. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. These two disciples then ran together to see for themselves what Mary told them with the other disciple running faster than Peter and reaching the tomb first. The running of these three disciples captures something of the initial distress and confusion of that first Easter morning.
We can learn something from the way John the disciple perceived the entire event. We sometimes fail to recognize the presence of the risen Lord in the various distressing experiences of emptiness in our lives. At such confusing and troubling moments, we feel that the Lord is absent. Yet, Christmas is the feast of Emmanuel. God with us. Today’s gospel reading reminds us that the Lord is always with us. Even in those times when we are tempted to feel he has abandoned us.
At the sight of the empty tomb, John the disciple was confident and courageous, because having been with Jesus and having experienced the depth of God’s love through Christ, he knows that God always keeps his promises. He saw and he believed.
Deepen Our Relationship
In this Christmas season, we are called not only to renew our awareness of God’s love for us but also to deepen our closeness to Jesus. This is the reason for his birth. He wants to be close to us. Having entered, through the incarnation, into the fullness of human experience, he understands our joys and pains. He understands our weaknesses and strengths, our fears, and doubts. It is left for us to draw closer to him, to experience the depth of his love. In so doing strengthen our faith, which helps us to survive challenging moments.
