St. John the Apostle Dec. 27th

 

We continue the Octave of Christmas, as we celebrate the Feast of John the Apostle.

John was called to follow Jesus while mending his nets. John’s family had a fishing business. He had a brother, James, was also called by Jesus to follow Him. Both were fishing with their father Zebedee, when they dropped their nets, left their father behind and began to follow Jesus. Their mother was a rather bold woman, who asked Jesus, that her sons would sit one on the right, and thee other on the left hand of Our Lord in His kingdom. Although they most likely put her up to it, she joyfully wanted what was best for her sons.

The two brothers, James and John were called “Sons of Thunder”, most likely because both had a temper. When the people of a village rejected Jesus, John and his brother asked the Lord, if they could call down fire. Our tender Lord, looked with great love on their zeal, but immediately corrected them.

Peter, James and John, were chosen to follow Our Lord in a closer way, than the other disciples. For example, the three were taken to the top of Mount Tabor to witness Our Lord’s transfiguration. The three were also asked to be close to Our Lord during His agony in the garden.

At the Last Supper, John rested his head against the chest of Jesus, and drank from the streams of His Sacred Heart. At the Last Supper, he is the one who asked the Lord who would betray him. John believed he was loved more than the other disciples, and so, called himself “the disciple, whom Jesus loved”, or the “beloved disciple”.

John was the only apostle to faithfully stand at the foot of Our Lord’s cross. Therefore, he is the only apostle Our Lord spoke to-- on the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus gave His most precious gift, His Mother--- to John. Jesus told Mary, “Woman, behold your son.” And to John, Jesus said, “Behold your mother”. Not only did John receive Mary, but Mary received John, as Her son. This is remarkable, since John’s mother, Mrs. Zebedee, likewise was standing at the foot of the Cross.

John would receive the grace of taking Mary into his home. He lived with Mary and took care of her until the day of Her Assumption into heaven. Tradition states that Mary went with John to Ephesus, where they both lived. Prior to going to Ephesus, he was primarily in Jerusalem, and founded many churches in Asia Minor.

After the resurrection, John ran to the tomb, with Peter, only to see the linen wrapped up by itself, and he believed. Out of respect for Peter, who was the head of the apostles and vicar of Christ, John allowed Peter to enter the tomb first.

Recall that after, Our Lord appeared to the apostles in the upper room, also appeared to them while on the Lake. It was there John first recognized Jesus on the shore, as he said, “It’s the Lord!”

John wrote, the Gospel of John, three epistles and the book of Revelation. His Gospel is different from the other three. He is often symbolically represented as an eagle because His Gospel writings soar, above the earth, as he evangelized the divinity of Christ.

John was taken to Rome by the order of the Emperor Domition, who cast him into a caldron of boiling oil, but he came out miraculously unhurt, and was banished to the island of Patmos for a year.

Living to be about the age of 100, and he died about the year 110 in Ephesus. He was the only apostle, who wasn’t martyred.

In Ephesus, a beautiful church was erected over his tomb. Afterwards, however, Muslims converted the church into a mosque.

Let us imitate St. John the Apostle, by developing a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whom John rested, and saw pierced. By pondering what John saw, the Crucified Lord on Calvary, it will inspire us to love Our Lord, as John did.

Because, John rested his head-- on the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper, and because He wrote the beautiful discourse about the Bread of life, John inspires us to a great love and devotion to the Eucharist. And since, Our Blessed Mother lived with John, he most certainly would have offered Mass with Mary in attendance, and given Her, the body of Her Son in the Holy Communion. By taking the Blessed Mother, into our home, and in our heart, like John, we will behold our Mother, and seek to live with Her as John did.

St. John, the apostle, pray for us, that we may worthily imitate you!