The other disciple ran faster than Peter

Jn 1,1-4; Ps 96,1-2.5-6.11-12; Jn 20,2-8.
27 DECEMBER

The Apostle John, in his Gospel, places his person as a true model of faith. To understand what he wants to be taken as a true model, we must read the last two verses of Chapter 20 of his book and also the first four verses of his First Letter. It is said in them what faith is and how it is reached.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name (Jn 20,30-31). What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life – for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us – what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete (1Jn 1,1-4).

The principle announced by Giovanni is simple to understand. Jesus came, spoke, preached, taught, prophesied and made many signs. What He has said and taught, cannot be the fruit of the flesh. No man can make these signs and say these words. Nobody has ever spoken like him. But even nobody has ever done works like his. Moreover every word he has punctually uttered has been fulfilled, is fulfilled and will be fulfilled on earth and in the heavens, today, tomorrow and always. Rationality is all called in the field. Man is not an animal without intellect. Instead, he is endowed with wisdom, rationality, eyes, ears and discernment. For him to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, it is simply necessary that man is man. He does not need anything else. If he does not believe, he does not believe because he has renounced his true humanity. God has always treated man as a true man. It is the untrue man who treats God as non-God, Jesus as non-Jesus, but also man as non-man. John is the man who, living as a man, sees, listens, observes, discerns, thinks, puts his intellect, makes use of his rationality, comes to the conclusion that Jesus has risen. He sees the order that reigns in the sepulchre. But he is also the man who offers the fruit of his humanity to other men so that they too believe. Thus John is the model of the true man and of the true disciple. He is the disciple loved by Jesus and also the disciple who loves all those Jesus loves. As Jesus loves every man with the love of true salvation, so John loves every man with love of true faith. Faith is true when it helps every other man to believe in the source of life.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 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.

Today, it is right to ask a question as real men. We have destroyed the true faith in Christ Jesus. The true man knows that if he destroys something in his place he must put even more beautiful, healthier, more holy and more real things. It is Satan’s work that of destroying God in the hearts to place himself, the truth to install falsehood, light to plant darkness, heaven to replace it with hell, love with hatred and virtue with vice. Who destroys Lord Jesus and in his place poses non-salvation, non-redemption, non-humanity, non-truth, non-grace, non-justice and non-eternal life, certainly does not perform the work of the true disciple of Jesus, but of the true follower of Satan. We are obliged to answer this question honestly. Destroying is easy. A word suffices. Fixing mistakes can last a lifetime and it is not even enough. In one day we can destroy the Church and she will never be rebuilt again.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, help us to live like real men to confess the truth.