One of Jesus' Twelve Apostles was St. John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome. In the first year of His public ministry, our Lord appointed John as an apostle. John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple are all thought to be the same person. St. James the Great, another of Jesus' Twelve Apostles, was John's elder brother. Jesus called the brothers "Boanerges," which translates to "sons of thunder". John is thought to be the only apostle to have lived the longest without suffering a martyr's death.
John was the closest witness to the agony in Gethsemane, along with Peter and James, and the only one who saw the Daughter of Jairus being raised. Jesus was informed by John that they had "'forbidden' a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus' name." When Jesus saw this, he said, "He who is not against us is on our side."
The only two apostles sent by Jesus to prepare for the Last Supper, the final Passover meal, were John and Peter. Instead of lying down along the couches, St. John sat next to Jesus and leaned on him during supper. Among the Twelve Apostles, only John stayed by the Savior's side during the hour of His Passion. At the cross, Joseph stood obediently as the Saviour appointed him to be His Mother's protector.
According to Church tradition, John traveled to Ephesus following Mary's Assumption. Later, the Roman government exiled him to the Greek island of Patmos, where he is said to have written the Book of Revelation. It is reported that after being thrown into boiling oil in Rome and coming out unscathed, John was banished in the latter part of the first century, under the reign of Emperor Domitian. Christians were notoriously persecuted by Emperor Domitian. It's also claimed that everyone who saw the miracle in the Colosseum became a Christian.
The three John Epistles and the Book of Revelation are among the four New Testament books that John is credited with writing, in addition to the Gospel of John. John is credited as the author of the Gospel, and John 21:24 asserts that the witness of the "Beloved Disciple" is the foundation of the Gospel of John. But since 200, there has been disagreement on who wrote the work. According to Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, it is accepted that both the Gospel and the First Epistle of John belong to John. Eusebius goes on to say that John the Apostle is not the author of the second and third epistles of John.
The term "the disciple whom Jesus loved," sometimes known as "the Beloved Disciple," appears five times in the Gospel of John and does not appear in any other New Testament narrative involving Jesus.
The virtue of charity, which St. John continuously modeled both by speech and deed, is what makes him known as the Apostle of Charity. He received this virtue from his Divine Master. After the year 98 AD, St. John passed away in Ephesus, where a grand church was built over his tomb. Afterwards, a Mohammedan mosque was built there.
St. John is the patron saint of authors, love, loyalty, and friendship. In artwork, he is frequently portrayed as the author of the Gospel holding an eagle, signifying "the height he rose to in his gospel." In several icons, he is depicted gazing upward into heaven and orally delivering his gospel to his followers. The feast day of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist is celebrated on December 27.
Other Saints of the Day
Saint Fabiola
Saint Maximus
Saint Nicarete
Saint Theodore and Theophanes
Blessed Sára Salkaházi