Ornaments of Grace - St John, Apostle and Evangelist

This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched – we speak of the word of life… so that you may share life with us. This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, our purpose in writing you this is that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:1-4 In today’s reading, John, Apostle and Evangelist, is so full of joy at knowing Jesus that he feels he cannot hold it in but wants to share it with everyone. Yet, not even the apostles were born saints, and he had to learn from Jesus about love and patience. This should give all of us hope! John and his brother James were called “Sons of Thunder.” We are not sure why, though there is much speculation about their having strong tempers. They surely had a lot of zeal and wanted Jesus to be accepted as king everywhere, sometimes misunderstanding what kind of a king Jesus was. In fact, John and his brother James wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritan towns that did not accept Jesus. Nevertheless, they listened and learned from the Master, just as we can. In this first letter of John, he was writing to a group of churches in which some members denied that Jesus was born as man. This heresy gained such a following that the people believing in the incarnation grew smaller and smaller. Some heretics even said that since they were “born of God,” they were perfect and had no sin. They used this as an excuse for not adhering to the Commandments because they were already so good. Such an easy way of life appealed to many. So, John urged the Christian Communities not to be led astray by false teaching, and to stand strong in what they had been taught. John taught that this meant, above all, they were to love one another as Jesus had loved them. John’s Gospel is much like this letter with its emphasis on love. John knew what it meant to stand strong. He was the only apostle who did not desert Jesus during His passion and His death on the Cross. Jesus entrusted John with the care of his mother Mary. He was truly a beloved disciple and knew that he was loved. According to Tradition, John ministered in Jerusalem. He then went to Ephesus in Asia Minor, West Turkey today. There he lived and cared for the Blessed Mother until she died and was assumed into heaven. John is believed to have founded many Christian communities in Asia Minor, but this did not sit well with Dometian, Emperor of Rome. So, stories say he had John taken to Rome and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. That failed to kill John, so Dometian banished the apostle to the Island of Patmos for a time. Some believe he wrote the Book of Revelation while in exile there. Many believe John died in Ephesus around 100 A.D. as a very old man. What we know for certain and what matters most is that John’s message was always simple and clear: Love one another. John, Apostle and Evangelist, is today’s Ornament of Grace. Are you so filled with joy at knowing Jesus that you feel an urgency in letting others know about Him? How can you show today that you love someone as Jesus loves you?