Christmas Weekday
1 John 5:5-13  +  Mark 1:7-11
January 6, 2018

So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord.

In today’s First Reading, St. John speaks of “testimony” that is given to the divine Person of Jesus.  He says that “there are three who testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood.”  The odd thing about this statement is the Beloved Disciple’s use of the word “who”:  he states that there are “three who testify”.  This is understandable in regard to “the Spirit”, who is the Third Person of the Trinity.  But why does St. John use the word “who” in regard to “the water, and the Blood”?

Perhaps these “three who testify” can be spoken of in terms of “who” because these three flow from Holy Mother Church:  in this case, “the Spirit, the water, and the Blood” might easily be understood in terms of the Church’s Sacraments of Initiation.

Perhaps instead these three refer to Christ in terms of His Crucifixion.  All three of these flow from the Person of Jesus on the Cross:  after Christ gave up His Spirit, water and Blood flowed from His side.  This suggests also the image of the Divine Mercy, with three rays of light—red, white and blue—flowing from Him.

No matter how we reflect on these three who give testimony, the one to whom they testify is clear:  the Word made Flesh within the womb of Mary, who offers His Body and Blood so that we might have life, and have it to the full.