FEAST OF SAINT JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST - Gospel (John 20:1a & 2-8)

“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.” (Jn 20:2)

FIRST READING - 1 Jn 1:1-4

"What we have seen and heard, we proclaim now to you."

A reading from the first letter of John

¹ 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—

² for the life was made visible;

    we have seen it and testify to it

    and proclaim to you the eternal life

    that was with the Father and was made visible to us—

³ what we have seen and heard

    we proclaim now to you,

    so that you too may have fellowship with us;

    for our fellowship is with the Father

    and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

⁴ We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 20:1a and 2-8

"The other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first."

✠From the Gospel according to John

¹ On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,^[c] and saw the stone removed from the tomb.² So she ran^[a] and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” ^3 [b]So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. ⁴ They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; ⁵ he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. ⁶ When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths^[c] there, ⁷ and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. ⁸ Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

FEAST OF SAINT JOHN APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST - Gospel (John 20:1a & 2-8)

Dear People of God,

Today, the Church celebrates Saint John the Apostle.

God desires all humanity to know about a saint who was loved and cherished by God, and he is Saint John the Apostle. This very saint saw, touched, and lived with the God of love, and leaned his head upon Him during the Last Supper. This very saint saw the Lord during difficult times and trials in the work of preaching the Gospel; and this very saint witnessed the event of Jesus Christ's resurrection in the empty tomb, and the saint proclaimed that Master Jesus is no longer in the tomb.

God revealed much to Saint John about the person of Jesus Christ; therefore, through faith and love, Saint John believed and recognized the words taught by his Master: He is the Messiah, the God of love, who came down into the world as man and dwelt among humanity.

Today, God calls all humanity to look up at Saint John as a model of faithfulness, fidelity, and absolute trust in God. The saint abandoned everything to follow Jesus Christ. He listened to the teachings of his Master and trusted absolutely in His love, believing in a Jesus Christ who would die and rise again to save humanity.

God Himself revealed to humanity that He is the light of the world, He is the God of love. God revealed much to Saint John about the image of the God of love, a God who came down to earth to become human, a God who became flesh like all other human beings.

God calls upon everyone to trust absolutely in the fact that Jesus Christ suffered death and rose again to save humanity.

Through the testimony of Saint John, it is shown that his testimony is true, that his testimony comes from the impulse of the Holy Spirit, revealing to him the truth about the God of love, the God incarnate, the God who is among humanity to save people from the captivity of Satan.

God also calls upon everyone to look up at the cross of Jesus Christ and follow Him, and live according to His teaching, which is to value and prioritize the work of God above all else. That work is to follow Jesus Christ faithfully and to bear courageous witness to the love of God dwelling in the world, according to Saint John’s call: “I have seen, and I have believed.”

Through the acts of love that Jesus Christ demonstrated to humanity that He invites everyone to trust absolutely in the love of God, and He will bestow all blessings upon those who love God above all things, and love their neighbors as themselves.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 Dec 27, 2025 - Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven