Saint’s Life Story

His Early Life

John was born around 6 AD probably in Bethsaida in Galilee. He was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman, and Salome. He and his brother James worked in the family fishing business on the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel accounts describe Zebedee as having hired workers, suggesting that the family operated an established fishing enterprise. These two brothers earned their livelihood as fishermen on Lake Genesareth until they were called by Jesus to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:21-22; Mark 1:19-20). John left the boat and followed Jesus.

First One of the Twelve Apostles

In fact, John is traditionally believed to be one of two disciples (the other being Andrew) recounted in John 1:35–39, who upon hearing the Saint John the Baptist point out Jesus as the “Lamb of God”, followed Jesus. After spending the day with him, John became one of the first two disciples called by Jesus.

John became one of the Twelve Apostles and, together with Peter and James, belonged to the smaller group of disciples who witnessed several especially important events in Jesus’ ministry. John was present at the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31), the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:22-43; Luke 8:40-56), the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28), and Jesus’ agony in Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33). John and his brother James were also given the Aramaic nickname Boanerges, traditionally translated ‘Sons of Thunder.’

In addition, Jesus sent only Peter and John into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal (the Last Supper) (Luke 22:8).

John at the Crucifixion

After the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, only Peter and the “other disciple” (according to tradition, John) followed him into the palace of the high-priest.

According to the Gospel of John, the disciple described as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ stood near the cross. Jesus entrusted his mother Mary to John’s care, saying, ‘Here is your mother.’ Christian tradition has long identified this beloved disciple as John the Apostle, although the Gospel itself does not explicitly name him.

A Leader of the Early Church

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, John became an important figure in the early Christian community. In all probability, John was present at the passing of Mary.

The Acts of the Apostles places John alongside Peter in the early preaching and ministry of the Church in Jerusalem. John was with Peter at the healing of the lame man at Solomon’s Porch in the Temple (Acts 3:1) and he was also thrown into prison with Peter (Acts 4:3). Later, only Peter and John went to visit the newly converted believers in Samaria (Acts 8:14).

Later Christian tradition places John in Asia Minor, especially at Ephesus, where he is said to have served and taught Christian communities for many years. In his “Dialogue with Tryphon” (Chapter 81) Saint Justin Martyr refers to “John, one of the Apostles of Christ” as a witness who had lived “with us”, that is, at Ephesus. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons speaks in very many places of the Apostle John and his residence in Asia.
Patmos and the Book of Revelation

John is identified in Revelation as its author. Revelation 1:9 says that he was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Early Christian tradition connected John as the apostle that was held there. and later released and returned to Ephesus. The identification of the author of Revelation with John the Apostle is a matter of historical and scholarly debate, so it is best described as traditional rather than certain.

The Writings Associated with John

Christian tradition associates John with the Gospel according to John, the three letters known as 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, and the Book of Revelation. Modern scholarship discusses the authorship of these writings separately and does not uniformly conclude that they were all written by John the Apostle. Nevertheless, his writings have had an enormous influence on Christian theology, particularly on themes of love, eternal life, faith, light, truth, and the identity of Jesus.

Early writers speak of John’s determined opposition to the heresies of the Ebionites and of the followers of the gnostic Cerinthus. On one occasion he was going to the baths when, learning that Cerinthus was within, he started back and said to some friends that were with him, ” Let us, brethren, make haste and be gone, lest the bath wherein is Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, should fall upon our heads “. Saint Irenaeus tells us he received this from the mouth of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, John’s personal disciple.

His Final Years and Death

In the year 95, during the second general persecution under Emperor Domitian, John was apprehended in Asia and sent to Rome as a prisoner, where he miraculously escaped martyrdom. Tertullian says that he emerged unscathed from a cauldron of boiling oil. His persecutors attributed the miracle to sorcery and he was exiled to the island of Patmos. On account of this trial he is given also the title martyr, although he was the only Apostle who did not suffer martyrdom. He did, however, thus fulfill what Christ had foretold that he should drink of his chalice of suffering.

Saint Jerome writes that age and weakness grew upon John at Ephesus so that he was no longer able to preach to the people. So, John used to be carried to the assembly of the faithful and every time said to his flock only these words:
“My little children, love one another.”

The New Testament does not tell us when or where John died. The strongest long-standing Christian tradition places his later life in Ephesus and his death there at an advanced age, probably near the end of the first century or around the beginning of the second century. Early writers such as Saint Irenaeus associated John with the church at Ephesus and the reign of Emperor Trajan.

A later tradition says John survived an attempted martyrdom and was exiled to Patmos. Other stories about his death circulated in antiquity, but the evidence is uncertain. The widely received tradition is that John died naturally at an old age rather than by execution.

Born:                     Around 6 AD, most likely Bethsaida, Galilee

Died:                     Around 101 in at Ephesus (in modern Turkey)

Beatified:             Pre-Congregation

Canonized:          Pre-Congregation

Feast Day:           December 27

Patron Saint:      Against Burns; Asia Minor; Authors; Booksellers; Burn Victims; Diocese of Boise, Idaho; Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio; Diocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Ephesus; Publishers; Painters; Printers; Sansepolcro, Italy; Scholars; Sculptors; Sundern, Germany; Theologians; Turkey; Umbria, Italy; Vivaro, Italy; Writers

Source:

• CatholicSaints.Info » Saints of the Day – John the Divine, Apostle and Evangelist by Katherine I Rabenstein
• Butler’s Lives Of The Saints Complete Edition – St John the Evangelist, Apostle
• Saint John The Apostle – Saint for a Minute
• John the Apostle – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

Cradio Saint of the Day: Saint John the Apostle – YouTube (CatholicSaints.Info)