EUCHARIST IS THE SOURCE OF OUR FELLOWSHIP

 “SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”

Daily Spiritual Reflections

27th December 2021

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MONDAY, FEAST OF SAINT JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST

1 Jn 1: 1-4; Ps 97: 1-2,5-6,11-12; Jn 20: 1-8

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EUCHARIST IS THE SOURCE OF OUR FELLOWSHIP

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint John, the Apostle and Evangelist. We honour him during Christmas because a lot of what we know of the Lord comes from him. He not only wrote the fourth Gospel but also various letters that are still preserved. 

Today’s first reading is from his letter, where John echoes what he wrote in the first chapter of his Gospel when he spoke of the Eternal Word, existing from the beginning, taking on flesh: “What was from the beginning was made visible to us.” 

Let us try to look at Jesus from the perspective of John. The ‘beginning’ John wrote of is not the beginning of this world, nor is it the beginning of creation. It is the beginning of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1, the beginning, before there was anything when all there existed was God. He identified this eternally existent being, who was made present in the flesh with John and the other disciples, as the word of life. This life was manifested; which means that it was made actually and physically real. That is what we celebrated on Christmas day. The purpose of John’s declaration about this eternally existent, physically present, Word of life who is God, yet is a person distinct from the Father, is to bring us into fellowship with both, God himself and his people. 

How is this possible? It is possible through the Eucharist alone. It is in the eucharist that the Lord is made manifest before us every day. By receiving him we become one with him, and consequently with the Father. This is the fellowship that we enjoy every day. It is the Eucharist that unites us with our brothers and sisters as well. It the same word-made-flesh, the word incarnate, that we receive daily in the eucharist. So let us pray to the Eucharistic Lord, to strengthen us and fill us with his grace, so that we may grow in fellowship with both, God the father and our brothers and sisters. 

Response: Rejoice in the Lord, you just. 

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