The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (283 page)

5:8 three witnesses:
Evidence of Christ's humanity is present in the liturgy, where the
Spirit
never ceases to bring Christ to the world through the
water
of Baptism and the
blood
of the Eucharist. Faith in the Incarnation is thus supported by the joint testimony of history and liturgy. John was uniquely qualified to insist on this: he not only engaged in sacramental ministry, but he was the sole apostle to witness the Spirit, the water, and the blood come forth from the crucified body of Jesus (Jn 19:30, 34) (CCC 1108, 1225).
See note on Jn 19:34
. • The Mosaic Law requires joint testimony from two or three witnesses to uphold a claim in court (Deut 19:15). For other uses of this legal standard in the NT, see Jn 5:30-47 and 2 Cor 13:1. • The three witnesses become one in Baptism, for if you eliminate one of them, the sacrament ceases to be. Without the Cross of Christ, water is simply a natural element. Without water, there is no mystery of regeneration. And unless one is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there is neither remission of sins nor reception of spiritual grace (St. Ambrose,
On the Mysteries
4, 20). 
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5:13 you have eternal life:
John is certain, not that his readers will make it to heaven, but that they are filled with the living presence of Christ. This is how John understands "eternal life" throughout the letter (1:2; 3:14-15; 5:1-12, 20). Readers are thus assured that they
possess
Christ, not that they will
persevere
in his grace until the end. The danger still exists that the saints on earth can fall into deadly sin (5:16). 
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5:14 if we ask anything:
The children of God (3:1) can approach the Father with the filial confidence that he hears us and desires to meet our needs (Lk 11:9-13). This is made possible through Christ, whose holy name gives us access to the heavenly throne (Jn 14:13-14; Heb 4:16; CCC 432). 
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5:16-17
John distinguishes between sin that is
deadly
(Gk., "unto death") and sin that is
not deadly
(Gk., "not unto death"). The reference is to spiritual death rather than physical death. Sinning unto death means sinning so grievously that one forfeits the indwelling "life" of Christ (5:12) and lapses back into a state of "death" (the reverse of 3:14). The evil in view is probably "apostasy", i.e., the sin of the heretical secessionists who denied the truth of apostolic doctrine (2:22) and severed themselves from the life and liturgy of the apostolic Church (2:19). Sin that does not lead to death weakens one's fellowship with God and requires cleansing and forgiveness (1:6-9) but does not extinguish the divine life abiding within (3:24). It is unclear why John does not ask believers to pray for persons guilty of deadly sins. Whatever the reason, his words do not imply that such a one is beyond the reach of God's mercy or incapable of future repentance. • Catholic moral theology adopts this distinction between mortal and non-mortal (venial) sins. Venial offenses can be forgiven by prayers of contrition and other means, but, ordinarily, mortal sins cannot be forgiven apart from the absolution and restorative grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (CCC 1854-64).
See note on 1 Jn 1:9
. 
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5:18-20
John concludes with a synopsis of several themes from the letter. Each verse in succession declares what believers "know" with the certitude of faith. 
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5:18 does not sin:
On the meaning of this,
see note on 1 Jn 3:6
. 
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5:20 the true God:
An assertion of Christ's divinity that balances John's persistent emphasis on Christ's humanity (1:1-2; 4:2; 5:6-8; CCC 464). These words could describe the Father, but they more likely refer to
his Son Jesus Christ
in the preceding sentence.
eternal life:
Also a reference to Christ, who is the embodiment of divine life (1:2). 
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5:21 idols:
The confession that Christ is the "true God" (5:20) implies that every pagan deity is a false god unworthy of worship. Idolatry was everywhere present in Asia Minor, where John's readers probably lived (CCC 2112). 
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INTRODUCTION TO

Author and Date
 The writer refers to himself, not by name, but by his title: "the elder" (2 Jn 1). Because the author of 3 John describes himself in the same way, and because the Johannine letters are doctrinally and stylistically quite similar to each other, Christian tradition has generally attributed all three of these epistles to a single author, namely, the Apostle John, son of Zebedee, one of the Twelve (Mk 3:17). Nevertheless, some scholars dispute both the apostolic and common authorship of 1, 2, and 3 John. Even in the ancient Church, an opinion circulated that 2 and 3 John did not come from the pen of the apostle. The basis for this judgment was a primitive tradition, traceable to the second-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, that someone named "John the Elder" lived at the same time as John the Apostle and apparently in the same region of Ephesus in Asia Minor (quoted in Eusebius,
Ecclesiastical History
3, 39). Though plausible, given the author's self-description in the opening verse, the evidence for attributing 2 John to this otherwise unknown figure is too slight to overturn the traditional ascription. On the other hand, the long-held conviction that all three letters come from the Apostle John is supported, not only by the strength of the evidence for John's authorship of 1 John, a view that was never seriously challenged in early Christian times, but also by an extensive list of similarities among the Johannine letters, especially between 1 and 2 John (e.g., compare 2 Jn 5 with 1 Jn 2:7; 2 Jn 7 with 1 Jn 2:18-22 and 4:1-2; and 2 Jn 12 with 1 Jn 1 : 4). These and other parallels suggest that 2 John not only comes from the same author as 1 John but was probably written about the same time, perhaps around
A.D.
100. See introduction to 1 John:
Author
and
Date.

Destination and Purpose
 The letter is written to a young missionary church under John's pastoral care. The location of this community is not specified, but presuming the reliability of the tradition that John spent his later years in Ephesus (see Irenaeus,
Against Heresies
3, 1, 1), it is safe to conclude that the community was somewhere within the range of John's influence and authority in Asia Minor (southwestern Turkey). The letter warns believers of an approaching band of deceivers whose doctrines openly contradict apostolic tradition. Their denial that God became man in Jesus Christ is the most serious and disturbing of all (2 Jn 7). Readers are to stand guard against these incoming propagandists, who will likely attempt to spread confusion by infiltrating the house church where the community gathers for worship and instruction (10-11). John hopes the epistle will arrive in time to prevent just such a disaster.

Themes and Characteristics
 The Second Letter of John is one of the shorter writings in the NT. It is a brief pastoral letter from a shepherd to an endangered community of sheep. Though space did not allow for the development of theological or spiritual themes, John has managed to blend the right amount of commendation and caution to make a powerful impact on his readers.
Commendation
is in order for this church, called the "elect lady" (1), because the apostle is encouraged by their commitment to the truth and their persistent efforts to live out Jesus' commandment of love (4). John appeals to them to continue on the same course (5-6).
Caution
also is in order because false prophets are marching around Asia Minor with the erroneous idea that Jesus Christ never actually came "in the flesh" (7). These deceivers, under the guise of traveling missionaries, are bound to reach this area and attempt to worm their way into the community. Readers are forbidden to host them or even to greet them (10-11). The brief counsel delivered in this letter is only a prelude to the in-depth instruction that John hopes to give them in person (12). «

OUTLINE OF THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT JOHN

1. Opening Address (
1-3
)

2. Body of the Letter (
4-12
)

   A. Loving One Another (
4-6
)

   B. Warning against Deceivers (
7-11
)

   C. Hope for a Future Visit (
12
)

3. Closing Greeting (
13
)

THE SECOND LETTER OF

Salutation

1
 
The elder
 
*
to the elect lady
 
*
and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth,
²
because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us for ever:

3
 
Grace, mercy, and peace
will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Truth and Love

4
 I rejoiced greatly to find
some of your children
following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.
⁵
And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had
from the beginning
, that we love one another.
⁶
And this is love, that we follow his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love.
⁷
For
many deceivers
have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.
⁸
Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you
^a
have worked for
, but may win a full reward.
⁹
Any
one who goes ahead
and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
¹⁰
If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him
into the house
or give him any greeting;
¹¹
for he who greets him shares his wicked work.

Final Greetings

12
 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use
paper
and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

13
 The children
 
*
of
your elect sister
greet you.