Note--I gave this homily just before twenty-five of us headed out on our Ghanaian immersion. We offered Mass at St. John's, Duluth, and prayed for abundant blessings on our trip.
We are especially blessed this morning. First, we celebrate the third day of
Christmas. Second, we gather at
the Eucharist on our parish feast day—St. John the Evangelist. Finally, we gather with the twenty-five
men and women who will be leaving for our trip to Ghana, Africa.
The
Church Fathers designated each of the Evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John—with a symbol. John’s symbol
is the eagle as it reflects the heights of John’s theology, faith and
writings. Consider his first letter—“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…”
But
John’s faith is not simply a high form of theology. John believed in Christ. In the Gospel, John outran Peter to the tomb—a fact I
appreciate as a runner. When
entering the tomb, Peter was presumably taken aback at what he saw. When John saw, he believed in the resurrection.
We
pray in thanksgiving for this great day at our parish. For all of us on our feast day, and
especially those about to travel to serve our brothers and sisters abroad, we
pray for the faith of our patron.
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