Feast of St. John: An Invitation to Fellowship with Jesus Christ

 Reflection on Today's Readings, 2nd Day of the Octave of the  Nativity of the Lord and the Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, Monday 27th December, 2021
Texts: 1 John 1:1-4; Psalm 97:1-2.5-6.11-12; John 20:2-8
Today is the feast of St. John an apostle of Jesus Christ and evangelist. He is also known as John the beloved. He wrote a gospel and three letters are attributed to him. In his writings, he had an eye on the divinity of Christ. In today's first reading, he shows that, though Jesus is the Son of God, He is also a person that can be encountered, experienced and relate with.
Today, St. John invites us to fellowship with Jesus Christ. It is a call to have relationship with Jesus Christ; it is to be in His company; it is to journey with Him. St. John tells us that we fellowship with Jesus Christ by accepting the message of His witnesses. St. John tells us that he is a witness to the incarnation of the Son of God. He says, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you" This tells us that incarnation is not a made up story, it is not a fiction but something real, experienced, encountered and true.
St. John tries to tell us that Jesus Christ is God but also a person, capable of relating with, talking to, sharing our feelings and thoughts with. He can listen to us and respond to our issues. Jesus can dialogue with us, He can communicate with us. He can live with us and we can live with Him. It is on this note that he calls us to have fellowship with Him. He says, "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." Our relationship with Jesus Christ is a relationship with concrete person. He also reveals that our relationship with Jesus Christ is also a relationship with God the Father. This means in Jesus Christ God the Father also becomes really and a person to relate with.
St. John describes Jesus Christ as the word of life. This reminds us that it is by keeping His words that He becomes a person real, concrete, true and capable  of relating with. This means of having encounter with Jesus Christ and God the Father is by accepting the message about Jesus Christ. When we live the gospel of Christ, He becomes a person and relate with us. We share from the life of Jesus Christ by living according to His gospel.
St. John also reveals that Jesus Christ is life; He is eternal life. By this he invites us who desire life to come to Jesus Christ. When we fellowship with Jesus Christ, we fellowship with life, we fellowship with eternal life. This means to fellowship with Jesus Christ is to live forever, it is to gain immortality and enter into eternal life with God.

O God, who through the blessed Apostle John have unlocked for us the secrets of your Word, grant, we pray, that we may grasp with proper understanding what he has so marvelously brought to our ear. Amen. (Collect)

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke