How does the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, where “the #other disciple ran faster” to reach the empty tomb, inspire me to hasten toward deeper understanding and care for creation, as Saint John Paul II cautioned against reducing the natural environment to mere utility—especially when “On Care for Our Common Home” challenges me to see God’s handiwork even in something as ordinary as welcoming a holiday guest cat❓
Gospel
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene 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 do not 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.
Reflection
The Feast of St. John the Evangelist reminds me that faith often involves both haste and contemplation. In today’s Gospel, we read that “the other disciple ran faster” to reach the tomb, driven by a holy urgency. This image challenges me to reflect on whether I approach my own encounters with the sacred and the mysterious with the same eagerness. When I think about creation and my role in it, do I run toward deeper stewardship, or do I linger behind, weighed down by indifference or distraction
Saint John Paul II’s warning about seeing the natural environment as nothing more than a resource for “immediate use and consumption” presses me to consider how I treat the “other” creatures around me. Do I see them as part of God’s creation, worthy of care and reverence, or as commodities for my own convenience❓ This question grows sharper when I think about the small ways I interact with the world—like hosting a holiday guest cat. Even in such simple acts, there’s an opportunity to recognize and honor the interconnectedness of life.
“On Care for Our Common Home” calls me to a broader vision of creation, one that sees the “other” in all living beings and recognizes their intrinsic value. This encyclical invites me to see beyond the immediate and utilitarian, challenging me to care for the earth not only as a resource but as a home—a gift from God. It prompts me to consider whether I live in harmony with this vision or whether my actions reflect the very consumption Saint John Paul II warned against.
…one of
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the things that we’re trying to do with
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the podcast is involve other entities
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and Ministries in the Diocese of Amarillo…
As I reflect on the “other” disciple who ran faster, I am reminded that faith and action go hand in hand. Am I willing to follow this example, running toward the truth with zeal and leaving behind the complacency that slows me down❓ Or am I too preoccupied with the material, the immediate, to recognize the sacred in the everyday❓ In the race of faith and care for creation, how can I move with urgency and purpose, just as…
Saint John Paul II became increasingly concerned about this issue. In his first Encyclical he warned that human beings frequently seem “to see no other meaning in their natural environment than what serves for immediate use and consumption”.
From Paragraph 5 of the Encyclical Letter LAUDATO SI’ of the Holy Father Francis, On Care for Our Common Home