Actually Seen and Heard

 “We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard...” 1 John 1:3

I enjoyed  it when my 93 year old dad was in a story telling mood. He usually expounded about the war. One of his stories was about their family getting kicked out of their nice mission house in San Marcelino by the Japanese in May 1943. It was a blessing because if they didn’t leave, they would all have been killed. The Japanese soldiers shelled the whole area, raped young girls, and the older women would offer themselves in place of the young ones. The first American plane daddy saw was on September 20 of the same year. He had been walking along Rizal Avenue, and it was a Corsair, and it was flying very low. 

St. John, whose Feast Day we celebrate today, is one of the Twelve Apostles Jesus chose to accompany Him. John outlived all the other Apostles, and was the only one who did not die a martyr’s death. In his letters, John emphasized that he wrote about what he had actually seen and heard. He walked with Jesus, talked to Him, listened to His teachings and His stories, witnessed His miracles. Like my dad, John spoke from first hand experience. Just as my dad was so eager to recount his experiences, so too John wanted others to know what happened while Jesus walked the earth. He was fully persuaded that Jesus was God in human form. All the Apostles were, so much so they were willing to die for that truth. 

For me, my dad’s memories are precious. How much more precious and valuable are the writings of St. John, St. James, and St. Peter, who were witnesses of Jesus’ life on earth? 

Lord, may we learn what we can from Your chosen friends. Help us to find life, light and truth in their words!