Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist – Feast

On this feast of Saint John, the Church invites us to contemplate a disciple defined not first by title or authority, but by love: “the other disciple whom Jesus loved.” John is not introduced by name in today’s Gospel. He is known by relationship. He is the one who leaned on the heart of Jesus, who stood at the foot of the Cross, who welcomed Mary into his home, and who ran toward the empty tomb with a heart already trained in love. The First Letter of John opens with astonishing tenderness: “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes… and touched with our hands.” Faith here is not abstract or distant. It is intimate, embodied, and deeply personal. John proclaims not an idea, but an encounter. The Word of life has been seen, heard, touched—and now shared. This proclamation is made, John tells us, “so that you too may have fellowship with us… and that our joy may be complete.” Christian joy is never solitary. It is born of communion—with God and with one another. Behind these words lies a fragile community, threatened by division and misunderstanding. And John’s response is not argument or domination, but love and unity. Love becomes the measure of truth. Fellowship becomes the sign of authentic faith. To believe in Christ is to enter into a shared life, a shared joy, a shared responsibility for one another. The Gospel takes us suddenly from Christmas to Easter, from the crib to the empty tomb. Why? Because the child born in Bethlehem is already the gift of self that will conquer death. Love does not wait; it runs. When Mary Magdalene announces the empty tomb, Peter and the Beloved Disciple run together. But love runs faster. The Beloved Disciple arrives first, sees, waits—and then believes. He does not yet have all the answers, but love allows him to trust the signs of resurrection before full understanding comes. This disciple’s believing heart does not compete with Peter’s authority; it complements it. Love and leadership, contemplation and action, belong together in the life of the Church. The Beloved Disciple believes first because he has stayed close longest—to the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper, to the Cross in suffering, and now to the dawn of resurrection hope. Significantly, he is never named. This is a gift to us. It means that the place of the “beloved disciple” is not closed. It is open. It is a vocation offered to every Christian. To be the disciple whom Jesus loves is not a privilege for a few, but a calling for all—to remain close to Christ, to stand firm in love when others flee, to believe even when understanding is incomplete, and to witness with humility and joy. Tradition tells us that in his old age, Saint John’s only sermon was this: “My children, love one another.” After visions, miracles, theology, and testimony, this was the essence. Love is what runs first. Love is what sees and believes. Love is what makes our joy complete. Today, Saint John asks us a simple but demanding question: How will you put Christ’s love into practice today? In patience, in forgiveness, in unity, in running toward those who are grieving, confused, or searching. May we, like the Beloved Disciple, stay close enough to Jesus to recognize the signs of life—and brave enough to love our way into belief.