Feast of Saint John

1 Saint John 1:1-4, Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, & John 20:1a, 2-8

Two days after Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist. St. John was the only apostle who did not suffer martyrdom and lived to a ripe old age of 101. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. As a fisherman and the brother of Saint James, John was called by Jesus in the first year of His public ministry and traveled everywhere with Him. He was present at the Transfiguration of Jesus and the Last Supper, and he was the only one of the Twelve who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion as he stood at the foot of the cross with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Jesus made John the guardian of Our Lady and took her into his home. Upon hearing of the Resurrection of the Lord, he was the first to reach the tomb, and when he met the Risen Lord at Lake Tiberias, he was the first to recognize Him.

Saint John is more popularly known as the "Beloved Disciple of Jesus" because of his closeness to Him. He is the author of the Fourth Gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation. His three letters are filled with the spirit of love, gentleness, and tenderness.

Saint John is called the Apostle of Charity, a virtue he had learned from his Divine Master and which he constantly displayed in word and example. May we follow his example and become beloved disciples, too, of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Question of the Day: How will you display the spirit of love, gentleness, and tenderness in the example of Saint John, the Beloved Apostle.

Prayer: "God, through Saint John the Apostle You willed to unlock to us the secrets of Your Word. Grant that what he has so excellently poured into our ears, we may properly understand. Amen." Excerpt from 'Lives of the Saints, Illustrated'