Today, the church celebrates a very special saint, the beloved disciple Saint John the Apostle. According to tradition, the beloved disciple was the youngest of all the apostles, still in his teenage years during the Lord’s public ministry. He was one of the two sons of Zebedee whom the Lord kept closest to Himself, along with Peter.
The Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation are attributed to him. The Gospel of John differs from the other gospels by particularly emphasizing Christ’s Divinity and the commandment of love, i.e., the relationship between believers, Christ, and the Father. Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, which were written for Jews, Romans, and Greeks, it is believed that John’s, the oldest among them (90-110 AD), was written for Christians.
John is the only disciple who remained by the Lord’s cross. Tradition teaches that he did so drawn by Mary, the Lord’s mother. He is the disciple to whom the Lord says from the cross: “Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, Behold, your mother.” (John 19:26-27). It is considered that John remained with Mary until her death, and he is the only disciple who did not die a martyr’s death.
In the Church, John is given a special role, precisely as an example for Christians to follow. The one whom the Lord particularly loved, who had a close relationship with His mother and took her as his own mother, and who devoted special attention to the commandment of love and the words: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” (John 15:4).
