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LITERAL COMMENTARY
1 Jn 1:1. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.” We announce to you concerning the Word of life, concerning the only-begotten Son of God, who, subsisting as life itself, is in the bosom of the Father and is the principle of all life—of nature, of grace, and of glory—in creatures. He “was from the beginning,” that is, before every creature, namely according to his divine nature and person, coequal and coeternal with the Father. “Which we have heard and which we have seen with our eyes, which we have contemplated, and which our hands have touched,” while he dwelt among us—namely, those things which pertain to his economy and assumed flesh from the beginning.
1 Jn 1:2. “And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and we bear witness, and we announce to you the life eternal, which was with the Father and appeared to us.” This very Life is the Son of God of Saint John, who in the beginning made himself visible in assumed flesh and manifested himself through his dwelling among men by his teaching and miracles. Compare with Matthew: he did. This Life, which we apostles have seen, we bear witness to and announce to you—the eternal life which was with God the Father and appeared to us in assumed flesh.
1 Jn 1:3–4. “That which we have seen and heard we announce to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” That is, what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, not for the sake of our own gain or advantage, but so that you may have fellowship and communion with us in the heavenly goods which have been promised to us, and which have been given by God, so that you may share them with us. Our fellowship, into which we earnestly desire that you be admitted, is with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, who deign to honor us with their friendship and grace and to call us to the inheritance of their eternal kingdom. By these words they invite us.
MORAL COMMENTARY
1 Jn 1:1–2. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have carefully looked upon, and which our hands have touched, concerning the Word of life. And the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and announce to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and appeared to us.”
Admirable and incomprehensible is the charity and humility of the Word of life, the Son of God, who, invisible and immortal from eternity, deigned in time to become visible and mortal, clothed in flesh for our salvation. He lowered himself to us so that he might raise us up to himself. He exposed himself to our senses—to be seen, to be heard, to be touched—so that he might make us spiritual, so that he might draw us to the love of invisible goods, so that he might lead us to the enjoyment of himself in heaven. Life, hidden from eternity in God, was manifested in temporal birth, so that he might bestow eternal life upon us. Life itself was manifested in the flesh, so that what can be seen by the heart alone might be seen by the eyes, in order to heal hearts.
For the Word is seen by the heart alone, but flesh is also seen by bodily eyes. There was that by which we could see the flesh, but there was not that by which we could see the Word; therefore the Word was made flesh—Verbum caro factum est—so that there might be something we could see, in order that in us there might be healing whereby we could see the Word. The life was manifested when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
To that flesh the Church is joined, so that Christ may be whole—Head and Body. We are witnesses of him; let us proclaim him not by words alone but by deeds. Let us live for God in Christ; let us be ready to pour out our life even with blood for the truth of the Christian faith and for justice. The martyrs are witnesses of God. God willed to have witnesses among men, so that men might also have God as their witness—not only as witness, but also as rewarder. Even the peace of the Church has its martyrs.
1 Jn 1:3–4. “That which we have seen and heard we announce to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
The apostles saw; we did not see—and yet we are companions, because we hold the same faith. For faith makes present in our minds the mysteries which they saw; it impresses upon our hearts the truths which they heard and preached; and it makes Jesus Christ, with whom they lived, dwell in our souls. Faith, formed and enlivened by charity, unites us not only to the fellowship of the apostles, but also to that of Christ, and through Christ to that of God the Father, imparting to us a communion in the works, sufferings, graces, merits, and glory of Christ.
This joins us to God, makes us radiant by him, makes us his temples, renders us sharers in his nature, nourishes us with truth, perfects us as sons by charity, and makes us members of his only-begotten Son. Let us offer him our heart, undivided and whole—not for a time, but forever—so that we may be filled with his joy and enjoy it without end.
“These things we write to you, that you may rejoice, and that your joy may be full.” Full joy, he says, consists in that very fellowship, in that very charity, in that very unity.
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