St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
Feast Day: December 27
John had followed Jesus from the beginning.
He had heard the teaching.
He had seen the miracles.
He had watched the crowds gather.
But when Jesus was arrested, condemned, and crucified, most of the disciples scattered.
John stayed.
He stood near the Cross beside the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And from the Cross, Jesus entrusted them to one another:
“Woman, behold, your son.”
Then to John:
“Behold, your mother.”
John witnessed the death of Christ.
He later ran to the empty tomb.
He saw the risen Lord.
And he spent the rest of his life bearing witness to what he had seen.
His Gospel begins with some of the most powerful words in Scripture:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The young fisherman from Galilee became one of the greatest witnesses to the divinity, love, and glory of Jesus Christ.
St. John, pray for us.
Who Was St. John?
St. John was one of the Twelve Apostles.
He was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. James the Greater.
The brothers worked as fishermen in Galilee before Jesus called them.
John became part of the inner circle of apostles closest to Christ.
Peter, James, and John were present at several events the other apostles did not witness in the same way.
Called from the Fishing Boat
The Gospels describe Jesus calling John and James while they were with their father in a fishing boat.
They left their work and followed Him.
Jesus later gave the brothers the nickname Boanerges, meaning “sons of thunder.”
The title suggests strong personalities.
John’s later writings are filled with love, but he was not weak or passive.
Grace transformed a fiery disciple into one of the Church’s deepest teachers about divine love.
The Transfiguration
John was present when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain and was transfigured before them.
They saw His appearance change.
They saw Moses and Elijah.
They heard the voice of the Father.
The experience revealed something of Christ’s glory before the suffering of the Cross.
John would later write repeatedly about the glory of the Word made flesh.
The Last Supper
Christian tradition strongly associates John with the beloved disciple who reclined near Jesus at the Last Supper.
He was close enough to lean near Christ and ask Him a question.
This image of closeness became important in later Christian spirituality.
John is remembered not only as one who knew facts about Jesus, but as one who remained very near Him.
John at the Cross
John’s presence at Calvary is one of the most important moments of his life.
While many disciples were absent, John stood near the Cross.
Jesus then entrusted Mary to the beloved disciple and the beloved disciple to Mary.
Catholic tradition sees in this moment something larger than a practical arrangement.
Mary becomes a spiritual mother to Christ’s disciples.
John receives her on behalf of the Church.
Running to the Empty Tomb
On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene told Peter and the beloved disciple that the tomb was empty.
They ran there.
John arrived first.
Peter entered first.
John then entered, saw, and believed.
The disciple who had remained near the Cross became one of the first witnesses to the empty tomb.
The Gospel According to John
Christian tradition identifies St. John with the author of the Gospel according to John.
This Gospel differs in style from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
It focuses strongly on the identity of Jesus.
John presents Christ as the eternal Word made flesh.
He records the great “I am” sayings.
He gives us the wedding at Cana, the raising of Lazarus, the washing of the disciples’ feet, and the long Last Supper discourses.
His Gospel repeatedly asks one central question:
Who is Jesus?
John’s answer is clear:
He is the eternal Son of God.
“The Word Became Flesh”
One of John’s greatest contributions to Christian theology appears in the opening of his Gospel.
He writes that the Word was with God and was God.
Then he says:
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
These words became foundational for Christian teaching about the Incarnation.
God did not merely send a messenger.
The eternal Son truly became man.
John’s Gospel became one of the central biblical foundations for the Church’s doctrine of Christ.
The Eucharist in John 6
John’s Gospel also includes the Bread of Life discourse.
Jesus says:
“I am the bread of life.”
He then speaks of giving His flesh for the life of the world and of the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood.
Catholic theology has long seen this chapter as deeply connected with the Eucharist.
John presents Jesus not only as one who teaches.
He gives Himself as food.
“God Is Love”
The First Letter of John contains one of the simplest and deepest sentences in the New Testament:
“God is love.”
John does not mean that love is merely one quality among many.
He teaches that Christian love flows from the very life of God.
Because God loved us first, Christians must love one another.
For John, doctrine and charity cannot be separated.
If we claim to love God while hating our brother, something is wrong.
The Book of Revelation
Christian tradition also connects John with the Book of Revelation.
The book describes visions received on the island of Patmos.
Its imagery is dramatic:
the Lamb,
the heavenly worship,
the battle between good and evil,
the woman clothed with the sun,
the New Jerusalem.
The exact questions of authorship have been debated by scholars.
But the Church has long associated Revelation with the Johannine tradition.
Did St. John Die a Martyr?
Unlike many of the apostles, John is traditionally believed to have died a natural death at an advanced age.
Ancient tradition associates his later life especially with Ephesus.
Some traditions tell of attempts to kill him, including a story that he survived being plunged into boiling oil.
The historical details are uncertain.
What is clear is that the Church remembers John as a faithful apostolic witness into old age.
The Apostle of Love
John is sometimes called the Apostle of Love.
That title fits his writings.
He speaks constantly about love of God and love of neighbor.
But John’s love is not sentimental.
He also speaks strongly about truth, sin, obedience, false teaching, and the commandments.
For John, love and truth belong together.
True love does not abandon truth.
Truth without love is also incomplete.
What St. John Teaches Us
St. John teaches us to stay close to Jesus.
At the Last Supper.
At the Cross.
At the empty tomb.
In the Eucharist.
In Scripture.
John also teaches us that the deepest Christian theology leads to love.
The Word became flesh.
Christ gave Himself.
God loved us first.
Therefore we must love.
His life is a reminder that knowing Christ is not only about collecting information.
It is about remaining with Him.
When Is the Feast of St. John?
The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, on December 27.
He is honored as one of the Twelve Apostles, a witness to the Crucifixion and Resurrection, an evangelist, and one of the great teachers of the divinity and love of Christ.
Prayer Inspired by St. John
Lord Jesus Christ,
give us the faith and love of St. John.
Help us remain close to You in joy and suffering.
Deepen our love for Sacred Scripture and the Holy Eucharist.
Teach us to hold truth and charity together.
Help us receive Mary as our mother and remain faithful beneath every cross.
And may we one day behold the glory of the Word made flesh.
St. John, pray for us. Amen.
