Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
As many scholars contend that John the Apostle, John the gospel writer, and John the epistle writer were three different people, I am at liberty to opine on any one of the three! I choose John the Apostle. John is listed among the Twelve in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not in the Gospel of John. However, this gospel does refer to a “beloved disciple” several times; most believe that this unnamed disciple is John. We gather from Scripture that John was in Jesus’ “inner circle,” present at more key events than most of the disciples (the transfiguration, raising of the daughter of Jairus, the agony in the garden, and the empty tomb), and at Peter’s side during the early years of witness bearing after the Ascension. According to tradition, John died of natural causes at a rather old age. Unlike many of the apostles, he was probably not martyred. What is the significance of this apostle for us today? Like his cohorts, he answered Jesus’ call to follow him - he put aside family, career, and other forms of security to follow Jesus. In one of the most tender passages of the gospels, John 19: 26-27, Jesus joins his mother to the beloved disciple: “...Woman, behold your son….behold, your mother.” Would we not want to be so honored by Jesus to caretake his mother after Jesus died? John showed a degree of maturity in his discipleship, having evolved from a follower who asked to be specially placed with Jesus in his kingdom (Mark 10: 35ff) to one who (John 20: 8b), “...saw and believed,” when he could have been hiding following the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
Steve Herro is Norbertine brother from De Pere, Wisc. Formerly with Catholic Charities USA, he now serves as an archivist and executive assistant for two Green Bay area organizations, facilitates a Bible study group, volunteers in housing and horticulture programs in his community, is a spiritual director intern, and blogs at stevenherro.wordpress.com.
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