Feast of St. John, Apostle and evangelist
St. John is beautifully called, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” And, it’s true, Jesus loved John in a special way.
In my experience, however, I come across a lot of faithful Christians who do not truly believe that they are loved by God. Because of their sins, past failures, or current struggles in life, they believe that they are the exception to God’s love. They believe they are “unworthy of love.” Maybe they would never admit it so plainly, but under the surface they hold onto this false belief and it impacts both the way they view themselves and the way they relate to other people.
John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. But, let me put it clearly: You are also the disciple whom Jesus loves. You are also that disciple because Jesus’ love is not exclusive, but rather it is limitless and His love for you is personal and unique.
If you don’t believe me, hear the words of the Trappist Monk and author, Dom Eugene Boylon who reflected on the personal love and relationship that Jesus wants with all of us. He believed that every single Christian soul should be able to say with conviction that, “During every moment of His life Jesus thought of me, and loved me, and in all His sufferings He had my needs in His mind… He knew that He had done and suffered more than a hundred times enough to make me holy, to make me a saint…” He continued: “But Jesus also saw clearly that the only obstacle to the achievement of His cherished purpose for me was my own refusal to trust Him, to believe Him, to cast all my cares upon Him, to take Him at His word.”
Take Jesus at His word. You are loved.
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Articles for Christmas, Daily Reflections