Our Hands Have Touched Him: A Call to Intimacy
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
1 John 1:1–4
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 may also 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.
Grace Prayed For
“Lord, I ask for the grace of Spiritual Perception: grant me the eyes to see You, the ears to hear You, and the heart to ‘touch’ Your presence in my daily life, so that my witness to others may be an authentic overflow of our friendship.”
Reflection
St. John does not begin his letter with a theological argument; he begins with a sensory explosion. He speaks of hearing, seeing, looking upon, and touching. This is the pinnacle of intimacy. John is telling us that Jesus did not come just to be thought about, but to be experienced.
To grow in intimacy with Jesus this Advent and Christmas is to realize that He still wants to be “touched” by us. We touch Him in the poverty of our own hearts, in the silence of the Eucharist, and in the “distressing disguise” of the poor. When we allow ourselves to be that close to Him—to truly look upon Him and hear His voice—something shifts. Our joy is no longer dependent on our circumstances; it becomes “complete” because it is rooted in a Divine Fellowship with the Father and the Son.
This is where your baptismal mission finds its fire. Notice the progression: John saw and heard, and therefore he proclaims. You cannot witness to what you have not “looked upon.” Our mission to share Jesus’ love with everyone we encounter is simply an overflow of this intimacy. We go out into the world not to convince people of a theory, but to invite them into a friendship. We tell them, “I have seen His light in my darkness, I have touched His mercy in my brokenness, and I want you to have this fellowship too.”
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post