Beloved-ness
"When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed." (John 20:6-8)
"When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed." (John 20:6-8)
He wants you to share in his "beloved-ness." I've always been fascinated by the technique that St. John the Apostle and Evangelist utilized in writing his Gospel where he refers to the "beloved" disciple or as we see in today's Gospel "the other disciple." Easily he could have claimed the title of the fastest runner of the apostles yet he leaves that position intentionally open.
St. John reveals by this technique an invitation to share in his "beloved-ness." With this, you and I can read/meditate/contemplate ourselves into the Gospel account and be conformed to the identity of a disciple beloved by the Lord.
What moves in your heart when you place yourself in the Gospel account as the "beloved" disciple?
St. John, evangelist and apostle, help me to share in your beloved-ness and invite others to share in that identity as well. Amen.
Fr. Chuck Dornquast is a son of St. Joseph Parish in Zephyrhills. After graduating from Zephyrhills High School he entered seminary where he would spend the next 9 years. While in seminary he spent time at many of our diocesan parishes and discovered more and more the heart of Christ the High Priest within him. After ordination he spent his first 4 years of priesthood as the associate pastor of St. Lawrence in Tampa. He currently serves the Diocese of Saint Petersburg as the Director of Vocations.
