Today we celebrate St John the Apostle - also known as St John the Evangelist. He was the John who wrote the gospel of John, and the epistles of John, and the book of Revelation. He was one of the twelve disciples who Jesus called, along with his brother James. He was one of the only three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration. And he was the only disciple who stood at the cross when Jesus died. Jesus told John (and us) that He gave John (and us) Mary to be his (and our) mother. She went to live with John after Jesus rose into heaven. John worked with the other disciples to build the church in Jerusalem. Then after Mary was assumed, he was martyred. Many people don't know that, because he survived his martyrdom. He was boiled alive in oil, but the oil didn't hurt him. So his captors sent him in exile to the isle of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation.
John's main message in all of his books and in his teachings was love. He told us that God is love. He admonished us to love one another. He said that if we claim to love God, but we don't love the people in our lives, then we are liars. Love is what it's all about. He called himself the beloved disciple. He's also the patron saint of booksellers and writers, which is especially interesting to me since I've been a bookseller for over 20 years and I just published my 8th book. He's my patron saint! You can read more about him here.
God, thank You for giving us this wonderful writer and teacher who showed us that love is what it's all about. St John, pray for us.
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