St John — Seeing, Believing, Remaining

Yesterday the Church showed us St Stephen, who died for Christ.
Today she gives us St John, who lived for Him.

The Church is teaching us something important:
there is more than one way to witness to Christ.

Stephen witnesses by blood.
John witnesses by truth.

St John begins his letter with extraordinary insistence:

“What we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked upon and touched with our hands…”

John is not speaking symbolically.
He is speaking historically.

Christian faith is not an idea we inherited.
It is not a feeling we generate.

It is a fact we receive.

John is saying: We were there.
We heard His voice.
We touched His hands.
We leaned against His heart.

The eternal Word became flesh —
and John never lets the Church forget it.

That matters at Christmas.

In the Gospel, John appears again — this time at the empty tomb.

He runs faster than Peter.
He arrives first.

But he does something surprising.

He waits.

Peter enters the tomb first.
John follows — and then we are told:

“He saw and he believed.”

Notice what John does not do.

He does not explain.
He does not argue.
He does not demand proof.

He sees — and believes.

This is John’s great gift to the Church.

Faith is not blind.
But it is trusting.

Why does John believe so quickly?

Because love recognises what fear hesitates over.

John stood at the foot of the Cross.
John received Mary as his mother.
John remained when others fled.

Faith grows where love remains.

John does not need to control the moment.
He allows the truth to reveal itself.

That is real faith.

John does not tell us about shepherds.
He does not describe angels.

Instead, he gives us something deeper.

He tells us that God has entered history
and that communion is now possible.

“Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

That is the meaning of Christmas.

Not nostalgia.
Not decoration.

But union.

God comes close
so that we may share His life.

St John teaches us three things, quietly but firmly:

Faith is rooted in truth, not imagination

Love leads to understanding

Remaining with Christ matters more than rushing ahead

In a noisy world, John reminds us:
the deepest faith often speaks softly.

Stephen shows us how to die for Christ.
John shows us how to live for Him.

To remain faithful.
To love the truth.
To believe without needing to dominate.

At Christmas, the Word becomes flesh.
Through John, the Church learns how to stay with Him.

So today we ask for John’s grace:

Not just to run quickly,
but to remain faithfully.

Not just to see,
but to believe.

And not just to believe for a moment,
but to remain in communion with Christ
all the days of our life.