Today’s readings reflect on the relationship between “seeing” and “believing.” In today’s Gospel passage from John, we hear that both Simon Peter and the “other disciple” went into the empty tomb but only this other disciple, “saw and believed.” In today’s first reading from 1 John, we hear the testimony: “what we have seen with our own eyes…concerns the Word of life…we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life.” Seeing, seeing Jesus, is not only believing but is the way to eternal life.
As today’s readings and the whole Gospel of John bring out, while “seeing is believing,” people come to see at different times. In John’s Gospel we have the famous story of doubting Thomas: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Doubting Thomas becomes a believing disciple: “Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28).
Faith without seeing is challenging as Jesus recognizes: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (John 20:29). When we encounter Jesus in the Gospel we come to “see” Jesus and are called to put our faith and trust in him: “Now Jesus did many other signs…not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.” (John 20:20-31).
When the author of 1 John speaks today about “what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes…,” he is referring to the Gospel of John. The Evangelist wants us not only to read or to hear his Gospel but to see Jesus come alive before our eyes.
You and I are invited today to “encounter” and to “see” Jesus in the Gospel of John and in our daily life. We are called once again to put our faith and trust in Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus is the source of true life.
Image: “healing of-the blind man cropped” by juan50300 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.