St. John the Apostle and Evangelist

"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own." (John 19:26-27, Douay Rheims)

Feast (1969 Calendar): December 27
Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): December 27

Today is the Feast Day of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. I know that it seems a little rushed too. Didn't we just have Christmas? Yes, and we are still celebrating the Octave of Christmas since Christmas is so important it is an eight-day celebration. Today is specifically the 3rd Day in the Octave of Christmas.

Besides the 3rd Day in the Octave of Christmas, today is also the Feast Day of St. John, and we see in a special way the principal purpose of Christ. He was born to us in Bethlehem, in rags and in a feeding container of animals, but He didn't come to live in wealth. Jesus Christ, in the glory of Heaven, is God and has all the glory He desires. Instead He came and came for one reason - to die. He came to die for us and today we celebrate the life of St. John the Apostle while also meditating on the 3rd Day of the Octave of Christmas.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, when Our Lord was taken from us and sentenced to death, all his disciples left him - every last one. But it was St. John the Apostle that was the only one to return to the Cross. It was there that He saw the love of the Lord - for Jesus Christ willingly gave up His life for us. St. John was given the gift of Mary, Our Lord's Mother, and Mary was given to us then. That day we were redeemed and Mary became Our Mother as well. It was St. John who was there. It was also St. John who wrote the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John. Think about how many people have been brought to Christ through it. But realize that God's Word, Holy Scripture, is not the only Truth. For the Gospels are part of the Word of God, but is that enough? No, for we have God - Jesus Christ in His Catholic Church. It is Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, who is the "source and summit of our faith". We are in Communion with the saints, we have Mary, we have the traditions and teachings of Christ in addition to Scripture. St. John also knew this - Jesus Christ is in His Church.

Some people even have traditions on this Feast day of Blessing Wine. For information on this and the prayers, visit the link. It is a very interesting tradition.

Octave of St. John

Traditionally, before the 1962 changes, there was an Octave associated with the Feast of St. John.  January 3rd was the Octave Day of St. John.  Those attached to this older calendar, may still pray the Breviary on January 3rd using the prayers for the Octave Day of St. John

Prayer:

Of Thy goodness, O Lord, shine upon Thy Church, that, enlightened by the teachings of blessed John, Thine Apostle and Evangelist, she may attain to everlasting gifts. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal