The Christmas arouses in us, so even stronger, the prayer to
God to stop the hands of violent, who sow death and in the world can rule the
justice and peace. But
our land continues to be imbued with innocent blood. I learned with deep sadness the news of the
attacks that even this year on the day of the birth of Jesus, mourning and grief
in some churches of Nigeria. I would like to express my sincere and affectionate closeness
to the Christian community and to all those who have been affected by this
absurd gesture and invitation to pray to the Lord for the many victims.
I appeal to the
competition of the various social components, find safety and serenity.
At this time I want to
repeat once again: violence is a way that leads only to pain, destruction and
death; respect,
reconciliation and love are the only way to achieve peace. (IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO
VATICANA)
Chers
pèlerins de langue française, au lendemain de Noël l’Église fête le premier
témoin du Christ ressuscité. Saint Étienne a vécu, jusqu’à sa mort, le message
de salut que le Christ a apporté à notre monde. La naissance du Fils de Dieu
nous encourage à témoigner de sa présence au milieu de son peuple même dans
l’adversité. Pensons à tous les chrétiens persécutés à travers le monde, qui,
suivant l’exemple de ce saint, offrent leur vie à cause de leur foi. Le Pape ne
les oublie pas. Que Dieu les remplisse de courage et de force et que la Vierge
Marie soit leur soutien! Avec ma Bénédiction Apostolique!
I
am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
this Angelus prayer. Today we celebrate Saint Stephen, the first
Christian martyr. May his example inspire us to be courageous in living our
faith in Christ our Saviour and ready to forgive those who harm us. I pray that
your stay in Rome may renew your love of Christ and his Church and I wish you
all a blessed Christmas Season!
Zum
Fest des heiligen Stephanus heiße ich heute alle Pilger und Besucher deutscher
Sprache willkommen. Einen Tag nach Weihnachten läßt der erste Martyrer der
Kirche uns an all jene denken, die auch in unseren Tagen wegen ihres Zeugnisses
für den menschgewordenen Sohn Gottes Verfolgung erleiden. Bitten wir darum, daß
wir alle, so wie der heilige Stephanus, im Glauben und in der Liebe standhaft
bleiben. Von Herzen wünsche ich euch und allen Familien eine gesegnete
Weihnachtszeit.
Saludo
con afecto a los fieles de lengua española presentes en esta oración mariana.
Sintiendo aún el eco de la Navidad, invito a todos a suplicar al Señor que no
deje de suscitar en su Iglesia testigos fieles y valientes del Evangelio, a
imitación de San Esteban, cuya fiesta celebramos hoy. Él fue el primero de los
diáconos escogidos por los Apóstoles como colaboradores de su ministerio y
también fue el primero que, colmado de fe y del Espíritu Santo, derramó su
sangre en Jerusalén para proclamar su amor a Jesús, el Verbo de Dios hecho
carne. Que el ejemplo y la intercesión de los mártires avive en nosotros el
deseo de ser auténticos discípulos y misioneros de Cristo, nuestro Redentor.
Muchas gracias.
A
minha saudação estende-se também aos peregrinos de língua portuguesa, desejando
que esta vinda a Roma encha de paz e alegria natalícia os vossos corações. Assim
podereis imitar Santo Estêvão no seu amor apaixonado por Cristo, fazendo-o
transbordar sobre os conterrâneos e vossa família, que de coração abençôo.
Pozdrawiam
wszystkich Polaków. Wspomnienie męczeństwa św. Szczepana uświadamia nam, że
również dzisiaj w wielu zakątkach świata nasi bracia chrześcijanie dają
heroiczne świadectwo wiary pośród prześladowań. Niech towarzyszy im nasze
duchowe wsparcie, aby zachowali pewność, że „jeśli kto wyznaje, że Jezus jest
Synem Bożym, to Bóg trwa w nim, a on w Bogu" (1J 4,15). Niech ta wiara
będzie również w nas w naszych małych i wielkich przeciwnościach. Serdecznie wam
błogosławię.
[Saluto tutti i polacchi. La memoria del martirio di Santo Stefano ci rende consapevoli che anche oggi in diverse parti del mondo i nostri fratelli cristiani danno testimonianza della fede tra le persecuzioni. Li accompagni il nostro spirituale sostegno, affinché perduri in loro la certezza che "chiunque riconosce che Gesù è il Figlio di Dio, Dio dimora in lui ed egli in Dio" (1 Gv 4,15). Questa fede resti anche in noi nelle nostre piccole e grandi avversità. Vi benedico di cuore.]
Turn a warm greeting to pilgrims from the Italian language,
particularly to the families and children. While I thank you for your affection, I ask
you to bring my best wishes to your loved ones who are at home, especially the
elderly and the sick. Happy holidays to you all! Thank you!
[01855-XX. 01] [Original text: Multilingual]
EUROPE : GERMANY : ARCHBISHOP WELCOMES TAIZE YOUTH - YOU ARE THE LIGHT
 |
| |||||
Berlin - in his speech to the brothers of Taizé and to the participants of 34th European youth meeting in Berlin, Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki recalled a sentence of Pope Benedict during his visit to Germany: "when Pope Benedict XVI saw many candles in September at the vigil of the youth in Freiburg, he called out to young people: 'You are the light of day!'". The youth meeting will begin tomorrow, more than 20,000 participants are expected. The greeting by Archbishop Woelki to the Taizé meeting: Dear frère Alois, dear brothers of Taizé, young people from all over Europe, Welcome to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin! I am delighted, that you accepted the invitation of my predecessor, the late Archbishop Georg Kardinal Sterzinsky, and held the European youth meeting in Berlin as you celebrate the 34th meeting. You are welcome in the city, the invitation to make in the "pilgrimage of trust" is not only for Christians. The scars of the Division of Europe are so clearly visible here than in any other city. You remind us and you, do not relax in the commitment to a fraternal and peaceful Europe. To Taizé, many candles which are lit at each prayer includes the typical songs for me. When Pope Benedict XVI saw many candles in September at the vigil of the youth in Freiburg, he called out to young people: "You are the light of day!" This is the deeper meaning of the candles for me. So how light your candles in the exhibition halls, you are so in the next few days here in Berlin but also later in your everyday life on the ground "lights of hope that remain hidden", as the Holy Father has put it. For this I thank you and wish you good encounters and rich blessings of God from the heart Rainer Maria Woelki Archbishop of Berlin Taizé vocals: Nada te turbe  Taizé vocals: Bless the Lord, my soul! source: http://kath.net/detail.php?id=34520  |
AMERICA : CANADA : ARCHBISHOP CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
A DOORWAY INTO GOD'S PRESENCE
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Time magazine recently named "the protester" the Person of the Year 2011. This reflects the unsettled state of our world: uprisings in the Middle East, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and violence at every turn.
Our schools and social media promise personal growth. Sadly, they are also places where bullies find victims, with tragic results. Life in the womb is threatened by abortion. The end of life is menaced by demands for euthanasia.
People long for a message of hope, yearn for joy, and deeply desire peace. This is precisely what God offers in the mystery of Christmas. He sent His Son into our world to draw us into His own divine life.
The entire Bible tells of God's tender compassion for His people. It is the story of His reaching out to us. God did this most supremely by taking on our human condition, taking human form in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
He chose to live among us, to experience first hand poverty, hunger, thirst, temptation, betrayal, and even death of the most painful and degrading kind. He showed us that the way of love, pardon, and devotion to others, is God's way of doing things.
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius Loyola invites believers to imagine the condition of the world-war, turmoil, disasters, and sins of every kind against justice fand human dignity-that led God to intervene.
This wise spiritual guide invites us then to imagine a conversation within the Trinity; God decided that His Divine Word would enter the human condition to draw all of humanity back to Him and to eternal life. The first part is theoretical: the big picture. The second part is the practical application: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, to save you, to save me.
Pope Benedict XVI recently issued a letter called |Porta fidei (the "Door of Faith"). The letter points out that God is always setting before us an open door through which we can enter into His presence. We can marvel at the ready access He gave shepherds and astronomers to the Christ Child. There was no castle wall or palace guard to keep them from the King of Kings. God wants to draw you close, too. You can go to Jesus without fear or hesitation.
So, please take time during these holy days to stop before the Christmas crib wherever you see one, be it in your home, at your parish, in front of or inside our Notre Dame cathedral.
There, pray silently before the Lord. Imagine Mary offering to let you take the Christ Child in your arms. Speak to your Lord and Saviour the deepest longings of your being. Listen to God tell you, as He surely told the shepherds and the magi, how to share the Good News with those who are struggling to believe, to find hope, and to live in joy. We can live fully in God's kingdom and share His treasure.
May Mary, who delighted in showing her Son to everyone from shepherds to kings, intercede with her Son and obtain for us the Christmas blessings of joy and peace.
Merry Christmas!
+Terrence Prendergast, SJ
Archbishop of Ottawa
source: http://www.archottawa.ca/documents/NewsReleases/ArchbishopsChristmasMessage2011FINALENG.pdf
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Time magazine recently named "the protester" the Person of the Year 2011. This reflects the unsettled state of our world: uprisings in the Middle East, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and violence at every turn.
Our schools and social media promise personal growth. Sadly, they are also places where bullies find victims, with tragic results. Life in the womb is threatened by abortion. The end of life is menaced by demands for euthanasia.
People long for a message of hope, yearn for joy, and deeply desire peace. This is precisely what God offers in the mystery of Christmas. He sent His Son into our world to draw us into His own divine life.
The entire Bible tells of God's tender compassion for His people. It is the story of His reaching out to us. God did this most supremely by taking on our human condition, taking human form in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
He chose to live among us, to experience first hand poverty, hunger, thirst, temptation, betrayal, and even death of the most painful and degrading kind. He showed us that the way of love, pardon, and devotion to others, is God's way of doing things.
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius Loyola invites believers to imagine the condition of the world-war, turmoil, disasters, and sins of every kind against justice fand human dignity-that led God to intervene.
This wise spiritual guide invites us then to imagine a conversation within the Trinity; God decided that His Divine Word would enter the human condition to draw all of humanity back to Him and to eternal life. The first part is theoretical: the big picture. The second part is the practical application: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, to save you, to save me.
Pope Benedict XVI recently issued a letter called |Porta fidei (the "Door of Faith"). The letter points out that God is always setting before us an open door through which we can enter into His presence. We can marvel at the ready access He gave shepherds and astronomers to the Christ Child. There was no castle wall or palace guard to keep them from the King of Kings. God wants to draw you close, too. You can go to Jesus without fear or hesitation.
So, please take time during these holy days to stop before the Christmas crib wherever you see one, be it in your home, at your parish, in front of or inside our Notre Dame cathedral.
There, pray silently before the Lord. Imagine Mary offering to let you take the Christ Child in your arms. Speak to your Lord and Saviour the deepest longings of your being. Listen to God tell you, as He surely told the shepherds and the magi, how to share the Good News with those who are struggling to believe, to find hope, and to live in joy. We can live fully in God's kingdom and share His treasure.
May Mary, who delighted in showing her Son to everyone from shepherds to kings, intercede with her Son and obtain for us the Christmas blessings of joy and peace.
Merry Christmas!
+Terrence Prendergast, SJ
Archbishop of Ottawa
source: http://www.archottawa.ca/documents/NewsReleases/ArchbishopsChristmasMessage2011FINALENG.pdf
ASIA : SYRIA : PRAYER NEEDED AS BLOODSHED CONTINUES
ASIA NEWS REPORT: In the city reports of a bombing with 30
people dead. A video shows dead bodies. Some observers want to go to Homs, but
do not have freedom to move.
Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A group of 50 Arab League
observers arrived yesterday evening in Syria to try to find a way to end the
violence that has bloodied the country for nine months. But also yesterday news
and images spread of new massacres in Homs, a hotbed of maximum resistance to
the Assad regime.
The 50 observers, including 10 Egyptians, have to verify the situation on the ground, oversee the removal of security forces from the cities, the release of imprisoned civilians, stop the violence.
The Syrian National Council - which includes opposition to Assad, based abroad - say that some observers are already in Homs, but "can not go anywhere the authorities do not want them to go."
According to the UN, the nine months of violence have caused at least 5 000 deaths. The government accuses "armed gangs" of killing soldiers who want to restore order in the country. But the opposition says that the majority of civilian deaths at the hands of the army to quell the riots. The statements from both sides are difficult to verify because there are no independent sources: the majority of foreign journalists were expelled at the beginning of the demonstrations.
Yesterday the opposition released a video showing tanks bombing Homs (see photo), in which 30 people died. Another video focuses on the bodies of four young men and a woman killed in a bloodbath (SEE HERE).
The activists accuse the government of having transferred the prisoners to military bases - where observers can not go - and hiding the corpses from the streets of Homs and the morgue. The Reuters news agency quotes a resident of Homs, which states that there is "violence on both sides."
According to the opposition, Syria has accepted the Arab League observers - under strict conditions of control - to prevent the UN Security Council from a discussion on the situation in Syria.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Arab-League-Observers-in-Damascus.-New-bloodshed-in-Homs-23533.html
Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A group of 50 Arab League
observers arrived yesterday evening in Syria to try to find a way to end the
violence that has bloodied the country for nine months. But also yesterday news
and images spread of new massacres in Homs, a hotbed of maximum resistance to
the Assad regime.The 50 observers, including 10 Egyptians, have to verify the situation on the ground, oversee the removal of security forces from the cities, the release of imprisoned civilians, stop the violence.
The Syrian National Council - which includes opposition to Assad, based abroad - say that some observers are already in Homs, but "can not go anywhere the authorities do not want them to go."
According to the UN, the nine months of violence have caused at least 5 000 deaths. The government accuses "armed gangs" of killing soldiers who want to restore order in the country. But the opposition says that the majority of civilian deaths at the hands of the army to quell the riots. The statements from both sides are difficult to verify because there are no independent sources: the majority of foreign journalists were expelled at the beginning of the demonstrations.
Yesterday the opposition released a video showing tanks bombing Homs (see photo), in which 30 people died. Another video focuses on the bodies of four young men and a woman killed in a bloodbath (SEE HERE).
The activists accuse the government of having transferred the prisoners to military bases - where observers can not go - and hiding the corpses from the streets of Homs and the morgue. The Reuters news agency quotes a resident of Homs, which states that there is "violence on both sides."
According to the opposition, Syria has accepted the Arab League observers - under strict conditions of control - to prevent the UN Security Council from a discussion on the situation in Syria.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Arab-League-Observers-in-Damascus.-New-bloodshed-in-Homs-23533.html
AFRICA : NIGERIA : PRAYER NEEDED FOR END TO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIANS
CATHOLIC
ONLINE REPORT: By Deacon Keith Fournier
In the aftermath of the explosion, thirty five innocent Christian victims were dead and dozens more were wounded. Early reports reveal the horror of the action committed by these Islamic Jihadists. One of the innocent members of the parish ran up to the priest and pleaded, "Father, pray for me. I will not survive." This Jihadist group is known by several names. They are called al-Sunnah wal Jamma - or "Followers of the Prophet's Teachings". They are murderers.
St Theresa's Catholic Church ABUA,Nigeria (Catholic
Online) - On Christmas Day Nigerian Catholics gathered in St Theresa's Catholic
Church for Holy Mass. In an act of pure evil, Islamic militants belonging to a
group which is popularly called "Boko Harem" exploded a bomb outside of the
Church.
-http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=44196
The reports of this kind of violence and bloodshed all flow
one way. Thankfully, I have not had to write one story about Christians bombing
Muslims in their mosques
In the aftermath of the explosion, thirty five innocent Christian victims were dead and dozens more were wounded. Early reports reveal the horror of the action committed by these Islamic Jihadists. One of the innocent members of the parish ran up to the priest and pleaded, "Father, pray for me. I will not survive." This Jihadist group is known by several names. They are called al-Sunnah wal Jamma - or "Followers of the Prophet's Teachings". They are murderers.
The phrase "Boko Harem" means "Western education is
forbidden" in the Hausa language and expresses the hatred the members of
thisIislamic group have for all things "western" and Christian. These violent
Jihadists intended to kill, maim and injure Christians attending Holy Mass. That
is exactly what happened.
In the aftermath of the explosion thirty five innocent Christian victims were dead and dozens more were wounded. Early reports reveal the horror of the action committed by these Islamic Jihadists. One of the innocent members of the parish ran up to the priest and pleaded, "Father, pray for me. I will not survive."
This Jihadist group is known by other names. They are called al-Sunnah wal Jamma - or "Followers of the Prophet's Teachings". They refer to themselves officially as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which means "people committed to the propagation of the prophet's teachings and Jihad". They are murderers.
The organization was founded in 2002. Their members are outspoken in their intention to impose an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria. After the bombings, a spokesman for the group claimed responsibility in an interview with a local newspaper called "The Daily Trust".
They told the newspaper "There will never be peace until our demands are met. We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."
They did not limit their evil to only Catholic Christians. These terrorists also bombed a Pentecostal Christian Church, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, in the city of Jos.
On the Feast of St Stephen the Deacon and Proto - Martyr, the day after Christmas, a burdened Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the faithful who had gathered for the Angelus prayer. He spoke from his heart, urging prayers for those whose "lands are drenched in innocent blood."
He specifically addressed the bombing on Christmas Day in Nigeria saying, "Today we celebrate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. May his example inspire us to be courageous in living our faith in Christ our Savior and ready to forgive those who harm us".
The Pope reminded the faithful that St Stephen gave his life for his Christian faith. He spoke of his heroic witness, noting that even as he was being stoned to death he prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and begged forgiveness for his accusers.He extolled the witness of the early martyrs of the Church, a topic which he has frequently addressed in the last few years.
Father Federico Lombardi is the chief spokesman for the Vatican as director of the Holy See Press Office. He said in a statement, "Regretfully the attacks at the Church of Saint Theresa in Abuja, timed to coincide with Christmas Day celebrations, are once again the expression of the cruelty of blind and absurd hatred devoid of any respect for human life and represent an attempt to generate and fuel further hatred and confusion,"
"We express our closeness to the suffering of the Church and of all the Nigerian people who have been affected by violent terrorism even during these days that should be of joy and peace," he added. "While we pray for the victims, we also express the hope that this senseless violence will not weaken the will for peaceful cohabitation and dialogue in the nation."
The word "Martyr" derives from a Greek word which means "witness." The Catholic faith proclaims that the shedding of one's blood in fidelity to Jesus Christ is the final witness to the Faith. That is what happened to our brethren in Nigeria on Christmas day. They were killed for being Christians.Unfortunately, the blood of the martyrs seems to be flowing more frequently these days as militant Islamic terrorism increases.
In the early Church, altars were built over the graves of the martyrs which the early Christians revered. They often became the place where the Eucharist was celebrated. The practice of reverencing the bones of the martyrs showed the respect with which the body was held by the early Christians and their absolute belief in the bodily resurrection, a tenet of the Christian faith.
The Pope reminded the faithful that in times of increased persecution against Christians, we should again remember these early martyrs, recalling their heroic virtue in order to draw inspiration. We should honor them as "teachers of virtue," "living witnesses", and "silent messengers".
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that "Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude" (CCC #2471 - 2473)
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of his closeness to the Christians in Nigeria and all who have been affected by "this senseless act". He called for peace, respect, reconciliation and love, noting as he regularly does that violence leads to pain, destruction and death.
We call on our global readership to pray for our brethren in Nigeria who were killed by these extremists while they gathered for worship on Christmas. Pray for those who mourn their loss. Pray for all Christians in Nigeria who face this growing threat from evil hiding behind a claim of religion.
We call upon world leaders - in particular we implore the US Administration - to loudly speak out against this overt persecution of Christians.
We challenge Muslims in Africa who are truly opposed to this evil act to publicly speak out against other Muslims who, purporting to follow Islam, commit terrorist acts against Christians.
In some circumstances, silence implies consent.These bombings are just such a circumstance.
The reports of this kind of violence and bloodshed all flow one way. Thankfully, I have not had to write one story about Christians bombing Muslims in their mosques. That is because Christians do not engage in such evil in the name of God.
In the aftermath of the explosion thirty five innocent Christian victims were dead and dozens more were wounded. Early reports reveal the horror of the action committed by these Islamic Jihadists. One of the innocent members of the parish ran up to the priest and pleaded, "Father, pray for me. I will not survive."
This Jihadist group is known by other names. They are called al-Sunnah wal Jamma - or "Followers of the Prophet's Teachings". They refer to themselves officially as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which means "people committed to the propagation of the prophet's teachings and Jihad". They are murderers.
The organization was founded in 2002. Their members are outspoken in their intention to impose an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria. After the bombings, a spokesman for the group claimed responsibility in an interview with a local newspaper called "The Daily Trust".
They told the newspaper "There will never be peace until our demands are met. We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."
They did not limit their evil to only Catholic Christians. These terrorists also bombed a Pentecostal Christian Church, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, in the city of Jos.
On the Feast of St Stephen the Deacon and Proto - Martyr, the day after Christmas, a burdened Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the faithful who had gathered for the Angelus prayer. He spoke from his heart, urging prayers for those whose "lands are drenched in innocent blood."
He specifically addressed the bombing on Christmas Day in Nigeria saying, "Today we celebrate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. May his example inspire us to be courageous in living our faith in Christ our Savior and ready to forgive those who harm us".
The Pope reminded the faithful that St Stephen gave his life for his Christian faith. He spoke of his heroic witness, noting that even as he was being stoned to death he prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and begged forgiveness for his accusers.He extolled the witness of the early martyrs of the Church, a topic which he has frequently addressed in the last few years.
Father Federico Lombardi is the chief spokesman for the Vatican as director of the Holy See Press Office. He said in a statement, "Regretfully the attacks at the Church of Saint Theresa in Abuja, timed to coincide with Christmas Day celebrations, are once again the expression of the cruelty of blind and absurd hatred devoid of any respect for human life and represent an attempt to generate and fuel further hatred and confusion,"
"We express our closeness to the suffering of the Church and of all the Nigerian people who have been affected by violent terrorism even during these days that should be of joy and peace," he added. "While we pray for the victims, we also express the hope that this senseless violence will not weaken the will for peaceful cohabitation and dialogue in the nation."
The word "Martyr" derives from a Greek word which means "witness." The Catholic faith proclaims that the shedding of one's blood in fidelity to Jesus Christ is the final witness to the Faith. That is what happened to our brethren in Nigeria on Christmas day. They were killed for being Christians.Unfortunately, the blood of the martyrs seems to be flowing more frequently these days as militant Islamic terrorism increases.
In the early Church, altars were built over the graves of the martyrs which the early Christians revered. They often became the place where the Eucharist was celebrated. The practice of reverencing the bones of the martyrs showed the respect with which the body was held by the early Christians and their absolute belief in the bodily resurrection, a tenet of the Christian faith.
The Pope reminded the faithful that in times of increased persecution against Christians, we should again remember these early martyrs, recalling their heroic virtue in order to draw inspiration. We should honor them as "teachers of virtue," "living witnesses", and "silent messengers".
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that "Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude" (CCC #2471 - 2473)
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of his closeness to the Christians in Nigeria and all who have been affected by "this senseless act". He called for peace, respect, reconciliation and love, noting as he regularly does that violence leads to pain, destruction and death.
We call on our global readership to pray for our brethren in Nigeria who were killed by these extremists while they gathered for worship on Christmas. Pray for those who mourn their loss. Pray for all Christians in Nigeria who face this growing threat from evil hiding behind a claim of religion.
We call upon world leaders - in particular we implore the US Administration - to loudly speak out against this overt persecution of Christians.
We challenge Muslims in Africa who are truly opposed to this evil act to publicly speak out against other Muslims who, purporting to follow Islam, commit terrorist acts against Christians.
In some circumstances, silence implies consent.These bombings are just such a circumstance.
The reports of this kind of violence and bloodshed all flow one way. Thankfully, I have not had to write one story about Christians bombing Muslims in their mosques. That is because Christians do not engage in such evil in the name of God.
-http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=44196
AUSTRALIA : DECORATING THE CATHEDRAL WITH FLOWERS
By Fiona Power
It's two days before Christmas and Alan Steele is hard at work preparing the floral arrangements for St Patrick's Cathedral. It's a task he has undertaken for 25 years, not only at Christmas, but every week.
"If there's a flower in the cathedral, I put it there," he laughs.
"Fr Hoctor said: 'It's been such a success, would you come and do it again?'" Alan recalls. Later that year Alan began his remarkable service, sharing his skills and evidently gaining great satisfaction from the joy he brings to visitors to the cathedral.
"Everybody loves flowers, don't you think?" he smiles.
Alan now comes to St Patrick's cathedral every Thursday and Friday, making arrangements for the week, which can include weddings and liturgical celebrations. He has been working at the cathedral for four days this week, preparing magnificent displays for Christmas.
Michelle Ehlers, Office and House Manager at St Patrick's Cathedral, says Alan's work and talents are greatly appreciated.
"No one can do flowers like Alan can," she says. "He's irreplaceable!"
Alan, who is in his early eighties, recently had major surgery but is making an excellent recovery.
"I told the doctor, 'I have to get back to do the flowers!'" he says.
"My abiding passion is the Catholic Church. It's all for God and the Catholic Church; they are important to me."
http://www.cam.org.au/melbourne-news/st-patricks-cathedrals-living-treasure.html
TODAY'S GOSPEL AND MASS ONLINE : TUES. DEC. 27, 2011
| John
20: 1 - 8
| |
| 1 | Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. |
| 2 | So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." |
| 3 | Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. |
| 4 | They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; |
| 5 | and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. |
| 6 | Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, |
| 7 | and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. |
| 8 | Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; |
TODAY'S SAINT: DEC. 27: ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE
St. John the Apostle
APOSTLE
Feast: December 27
Information:
Feast Day:
December 27
Born:
6 AD, Galilee, in the
Holy Land
Died:
101, Ephesus, Asia Minor
Patron of:
authors, burns, poisoning, theologians, publishers, booksellers,
editors, friendships, and painters
St
John The Evangelist, who is styled in the gospel, The beloved disciple of
Christ," and is called by the Greeks "The Divine," was a Galilean, the son of
Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of St. James the Great, with whom he was
brought up to the trade of fishing. From his acquaintance with the high priest
Caiphas, St. Jerome infers that he was a gentleman by birth; but the meanness of
his father's trade, and the privacy of his fortune sufficiently prove that his
birth could not much distinguish him in the world, neither could his education
give him any tincture of secular learning. His acquaintance with the high priest
may be placed to some other account. Nicephorus Calixtus, a modern Greek
historian of the fourteenth century (in whom, amidst much rubbish, several
curious anecdotes are found), says, we know not upon what authority, that St.
John had sold a paternal estate to Annas, father-in-law to Caiphas, a little
before the death of our Lord. Before his coming to Christ he seems to have been
a disciple to John the Baptist, several thinking him to have been that other
disciple that was with St. Andrew when they left the Baptist to follow our
Saviour; so particularly does our Evangelist relate all the circumstances,
through modestly concealing his own name, as in other parts of the gospel. He
was properly called to be a disciple of our Lord, with his brother James, as
they were mending their nets on the same day, and soon after Jesus had called
Peter and Andrew. These two brothers continued still to follow their profession,
but upon seeing the miraculous draught of fishes, they left all things to attach
themselves more closely to him. Christ gave them the surname of Boanerges, or
sons of thunder, to express the strength and activity of their faith in
publishing the law of God without fearing the power of man. This epithet has
been particularly applied to St. John, who was truly a voice of thunder in
proclaiming aloud the most sublime mysteries of the divinity of Christ. He is
said to have been the youngest of all the apostles, probably about twenty-five
years of age, when he was called by Christ; for he lived seventy years after the
suffering of his divine Master. Piety, wisdom, and prudence equalled him in his
youth to those who with their grey hairs had been long exercised in the practice
and experience of virtue; and, by a pure and blameless life he was honourable in
the world. Our divine Redeemer had a particular affection for him above the rest
of the apostles; insomuch that when St. John speaks of himself, he saith that he
was "The disciple whom Jesus loved"; and frequently he mentions himself by this
only characteristic; which he did not out of pride to distinguish himself, but
out of gratitude and tender love for his blessed Master. If we inquire into the
causes of this particular love of Christ towards him, which was not blind or
unreasonable, the first was doubtless, as St. Austin observes, the love which
this disciple bore him; secondly, his meekness and peaceable disposition by
which he was extremely like Christ himself; thirdly, his virginal purity. For
St. Austin tells us that, "The singular privilege of his chastity rendered him
worthy of the more particular love of Christ, because being chosen by him a
virgin, he always remained such." St. Jerome sticks pot to call all his other
privileges and graces the recompense of his chastity, especially that which our
Lord did him by recommending in his last moments his virgin mother to the care
of this virgin disciple. St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, St. Epiphanius, and other
fathers frequently make the same reflection. Christ was pleased to choose a
virgin for his mother, a virgin for his precursor, and a virgin for his
favourite disciple; and his church suffers only those who live perfectly chaste
to serve him in his priesthood, where they daily touch and offer his virginal
flesh on his holy altar. In heaven virgins follow the spotless Lamb wherever he
goes. Who then can doubt but purity is the darling virtue of Jesus? "who feeds
among the lilies " of untarnished chastity. For "he who loves purity of heart
will have the king his friend." Another motive of the preference which Jesus
gave to this apostle in his intimacy and predilection, was his perfect innocence
and simplicity without guile in his youth. Virtue in that age has peculiar
charms to Christ, and is always a seed of extraordinary graces and
blessings.
The
love which Jesus bears is never barren. Of this his sufferings and death are the
strongest proof. As St. John had the happiness to be distinguished by Christ in
his holy love, so was he also in its glorious effects. Though these principally
consisted in the treasure of interior graces and virtues, exterior tokens,
helps, and comforts were not wanting. This appears from the familiarity and
intimacy with which his divine Master favoured him above the rest of the
apostles. Christ would have him with Peter and James privy to his
Transfiguration, and to his agony in the garden; and he showed St. John
particular instances of kindness and affection above all the rest. Witness this
apostle's lying in our Saviour's bosom at the last supper; it being then the
custom among the Jews often to lie along upon couches at meals, so that one
might lean his head upon the bosom of him that lay before him: which honour
Christ allowed St. John. No tongue certainly can express the sweetness and
ardour of the holy love which our saint on that occasion drew from the divine
breast of our Lord, which was the true furnace of pure and holy love. St. John
repeats this circumstance several times in his gospel to show its importance and
his grateful remembrance. We discover in the holy scriptures a close particular
friendship between St. John and St. Peter, which was doubtless founded in the
ardour of their love and zeal for their divine Master. When St. Peter durst not,
as it seems, says St. Jerome, propound the question to our Lord, who it was that
should betray him, he by signs desired St. John to do it, whose familiarity with
Christ allowed him more easily such a liberty, and our Lord gave him to
understand that Judas was the wretch, though, at least, except St. John, none
that were present seemed to have understood his answer, which was only given by
the signal of the traitor's dipping a morsel of bread with him in the dish. St.
Chrysostom says, that when our Lord was apprehended and the other apostles fled,
St. John never forsook him; and many imagine that he was the disciple who being
known to the high priest, got Peter admitted by the servants into the court of
Caiphas.
Our
saint seems to have accompanied Christ through all his sufferings; at least he
attended him during his crucifixion, standing under his cross, owning him in the
midst of arms and guards, and in the thickest crowds of his implacable enemies.
Here it was that our Lord declared the assurance he had of this disciple's
affection and fidelity, by recommending with his dying words, his holy mother to
his care; giving him the charge to love, honour, comfort, and provide for her
with that dutifulness and attention which the character of the best and most
indulgent mother challenges from an obedient and loving son. What more
honourable testimony could Christ have given him of his confidence, regard, and
affection, than this charge? Accordingly St. John took her to his home, and ever
after made her a principal part of his care. Christ had at the same time given
her to St. John for his mother, saying to her, "Woman, behold thy son." Our Lord
disdained not to call us all brethren, as St. Paul observes. And he recommended
us all as such to the maternal care of his own mother: but amongst these
adoptive sons St. John is the first-born. To him alone was given this special
privilege of being treated by her as if she had been his natural mother, and of
reciprocally treating her as such by respectfully honouring, serving, and
assisting her in person. This was the recompense of his constancy and fervour in
his divine Master's service and love. This holy apostle, though full of
inexpressible grief for the death of his divine Master, yet left not the cross
and saw his side opened with a spear; was attentive to the whole mystery and saw
the blood and water issue from the wound, of which he bore record. It is
believed that he was present at the taking down of our Lord's body from the
cross and helped to present it to his most blessed mother, and afterwards to lay
it in the sepulchre, watering it with abundance of tears, and kissing it with
extraordinary devotion and tenderness.
When
Mary Magdalen and other devout women brought word that they had not found
Christ's body in the sepulchre, Peter and John ran immediately thither, and
John, who was younger and more nimble, running faster, arrived first at the
place. Some few days after this, St. John went a-fishing in the lake of Tiberias
with other disciples; and Jesus appeared on the shore in a disguised form. St.
John, directed by the instinct of love, knew him and gave notice to Peter: they
all dined with him on the shore; and when dinner was ended, Christ walked along
the shore questioning Peter about the sincerity of his love, gave him the charge
of his church, and foretold his martyrdom. St. Peter seeing St. John walk
behind, and being solicitous for his friend, asked Jesus what would become of
him; supposing that as Christ testified a particular love for him, he would show
him some extraordinary favour. Christ checked his curiosity by telling him that
it was not his business if he should prolong John's life till he should come;
which most understand of his coming to destroy Jerusalem; an epoch which St.
John survived. Some of the disciples, however, misapprehended this answer so far
as to infer that John would remain in the body till Christ shall come to judge
the world: though St. John has taken care in his gospel to tell us that no such
thing was meant. After Christ's ascension, we find these two zealous apostles
going up to the temple and miraculously healing a poor cripple. Our two apostles
were imprisoned, but released again with an order no more to preach Christ, but
no threats daunted their courage. They were sent by the college of the apostles
to confirm the converts which Philip the Deacon had made in Samaria. St. John
was again apprehended by the Jews, with the rest of the apostles, and scourged;
but they went from the council rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to
suffer for the name of Jesus. When St. Paul went up to Jerusalem, three years
after his conversion, he saw there only St. Peter and St. James the Less, St.
John being probably absent. But St. Paul, going thither in the fourteenth year
after his conversion, addressed himself to those who seemed to be pillars of the
church, chiefly Peter and John, who confirmed to him his mission among the
infidels. About that time St. John assisted at the council which the apostles
held at Jerusalem in the year 51. For St. Clement of Alexandria tells us, that
all the apostles attended in it. That father says, that Christ at his ascension
preferred St. Peter, St. James the Less, and St. John to the rest of the
apostles, though there was no strife or pre-eminence amongst any in that sacred
college, and this St. James was chosen Bishop of Jerusalem. St. Clement adds,
that our Lord particularly instructed these three apostles in many sacred
mysteries, and that the rest of the apostles received much holy science from
them.
St.
John seems to have remained chiefly at Jerusalem for a long time, though he
sometimes preached abroad. Parthia is said to have been the chief scene of his
apostolical labours. St. Austin sometimes quotes his first epistle under the
title of his Epistle to the Parthians; and by a title then prefixed to it in
some copies it seems to have been addressed to the Jews that were dispersed
through the provinces of the Parthian empire. Certain late missionaries in the
East Indies assure us, that the inhabitants of Bassora, a city upon the mouth of
the Tigris and Euphrates, on the Persian gulf, affirm, by a tradition received
from their ancestors, that St. John planted the Christian faith in their
country. He came to Jerusalem in the year 62 to meet the rest of the apostles
who were then living, when they chose in council St. Simeon, bishop of that
church after the martyrdom of St. James the Less. It seems to have been after
the death of the Blessed Virgin that St. John visited Lesser Asia, making those
parts his peculiar care, and residing at Ephesus, the capital of that country.
It is certain that he was not come thither in 64, when St. Paul left St. Timothy
bishop of that city. St. Irenaeus tells us, that he did not settle there till
after the death of SS. Peter and Paul. St. Timothy continued still Bishop of
Ephesus till his martyrdom in 97. But the apostolical authority of St. John was
universal and superior, and the charity and humility of these two holy men
prevented all differences upon account of their jurisdiction. St. John preached
in other parts and took care of all the churches of Asia which, St. Jerome says,
he founded and governed. Tertullian adds that he placed bishops in all that
country; by which we are to understand that he confirmed and governed those
which SS. Peter and Paul had established, and appointed others in many other
churches which he founded. It is even probable that in the course of his long
life, he put bishops into all the churches of Asia: for while the apostles
lived, they supplied the churches with bishops of their own appointing by the
guidance of the Holy Ghost, and by virtue of their commission to plant the
church.
St.
John, in his extreme old age, continued often to visit the churches of Asia, and
sometimes undertook journeys to assume to the sacred ministry a single person
whom the Holy Ghost had marked out to him. Appollonius, not the Roman senator,
apologist, and martyr, but a Greek father who wrote against the Montanists, and
confuted their pretended prophecies step by step, about the year 192, assures us
that St. John raised a dead man to life at Ephesus. A certain priest of Asia
having been convicted of writing a fabulous account of the voyages of St. Paul
and St. Thecla, in defence and honour of that apostle, was deposed by St. John.
St. Epiphanius affirms, that St. John was carried into Asia by the special
direction of the Holy Ghost, to oppose the heresies of Ebion and Cerinthus. St.
Irena us relates that St. John, who ordinarily never made use of a bath, went to
bathe on some extraordinary occasion, but understanding that Cerinthus was
within, started back, and said to some friends that were with him, "Let us, my
brethren, make haste and be gone, lest the bath, wherein is Cerinthus the enemy
of the Truth, should fall upon our heads." Dr. Conyers Middleton, in his
posthumous works, pretends this anecdote must be false, because inconsistent
with this apostle's extraordinary meekness. But St. Irenaeus tells us he
received this account from the very mouth of St. Polycarp, St. John's disciple,
whose behaviour to Marcion is an instance of the same spirit. This great apostle
would teach his flock to beware of the conversation of those who wilfully
corrupted the truth of religion, and by their ensnaring speeches endeavoured to
seduce others. This maxim he inculcates in his second epistle, but this
precaution was restrained to the authors of the pestilential seduction.
Nevertheless, the very characteristic of St. John was universal meekness and
charity towards all the world. But towards himself he was always most severe;
and St. Epiphanius tells us, that he never wore any clothes but a tunic and a
linen garment, and never ate flesh; and that his way of living was not unlike
that of St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was remarkable for austerity and
mortification.
In
the second general persecution, in the year 95, St. John was apprehended by the
proconsul of Asia and sent to Rome, where he was miraculously preserved from
death when thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. On account of this trial, the
title of martyr is given him by the fathers, who say that thus was fulfilled
what Christ had foretold him, that he should drink of his cup. The idolaters,
who pretended to account for such miracles by sorcery, blinded themselves to
this evidence, and the tyrant Domitian banished St. John into the isle of
Patmos, one of the Sporades in the Archipelago. In this retirement the apostle
was favoured with those heavenly visions which he has recorded in the canonical
book of the Revelations, or of the Apocalypse: they were manifested to him on a
Sunday in the year 96. The first three chapters are evidently a prophetic
instruction given to seven neighbouring churches of Asia Minor, and to the
bishops who governed them. The three last chapters celebrate the triumph of
Christ, the judgment and reward of his saints. The intermediate chapters are
variously expounded. By these visions God gave St. John a prospect of the future
state of the church. His exile was not of long continuance; for Domitian being
slain in September in 96, all his edicts and public acts were declared void by a
decree of the senate on account of his excessive cruelty; and his successor,
Nerva, recalled all those whom he had banished. St. John, therefore, returned to
Ephesus in 97, where he found that St. Timothy had been crowned with martyrdom
on the preceding 22nd of January. The apostle was obliged, by the pressing
entreaties of the whole flock, to take upon him the particular government of
that church, which he held till the reign of Trajan. St. John, in imitation of
the high priest of the Jews, wore a plate of gold upon his forehead, as an
ensign of his Christian priesthood, as Polycrates informs us. St. Epiphanius
relates the same of St. James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, and the author of the
history of the martyrdom of St. Mark the Evangelist, attributes to him the same
ornament. St. John celebrated the Christian Pasch on the 14th day of the moon,
agreeing as to time with the Jewish passover; but was so far from holding the
Jewish rites of obligation in the New Law, that he condemned that heresy in the
Nazarites. and in Ebion and Cerinthus.
As
his apostolic labours were chiefly bestowed among the Jews, he judged such a
conformity, which was then allowable, conducive to their conversion.
The
ancient fathers informs us that it was principally to confute the blasphemies of
Ebion and Cerinthus, who denied the divinity of Christ, and even his
pre-existence before his temporal birth, that St. John composed his gospel.
Another reason was, to supply certain omissions of the other three gospels,
which he read and confirmed by his approbation. He therefore principally insists
on the actions of Christ, from the commencement of his ministry to the death of
the Baptist, wherein the others were sparing; and he largely records his
discourses, mentioning fewer miracles. It being his principal aim to set forth
the divinity of Christ, he begins with the eternal generation and his creating
the world; and both his subject and manner of treating it is so sublime and
mysterious, that Tbeodoret calls his gospel "a theology which human
understanding can never fully penetrate and find out." Hence he is compared by
the ancients: to an eagle, soaring aloft within the clouds, whither the weak eye
of man is unable to follow him; and by the Greeks he is honoured with the title
of The Divine. St. Jerome relates, that "when he was earnestly pressed by the
brethren to write his gospel, he answered he would do it, if by ordering a
common fast they would all put up their prayers together to God"; which being
ended, replenished with the clearest and fullest revelation coming from heaven,
he burst forth into that preface: "In the beginning was the word," &c. St.
Chrysostom and other fathers mention that the evangelist prepared himself for
this divine undertaking by retirement, prayer, and contemplation. Some think he
wrote his gospel in the isle of Patmos; but it is the more general opinion that
he composed it after his return to Ephesus, about the year of our Lord 98, of
his age ninety-two, after our Lord's ascension sixty-four. This apostle also
wrote three epistles. The first is Catholic, or addressed to all Christians,
especially his convert. whom he presses to purity and holiness of manners, and
he cautions them against the crafty insinuations of seducers, especially the
Simonians and Cerinthians. The other two epistles are short, and directed to
particular persons: the one a lady of honourable quality called, as it seems,
Electa (though some think this rather an epithet of honour than a proper name);
the other Gaius, or Caius, a courteous entertainer of all indigent Christians;
rather one of that name at Derbe, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, than
the Caius of Corinth, of whom St. Paul speaks. The style and sentiments in St.
John's gospel and in these epistles are the same; and the same inimitable spirit
of charity reigns throughout all these writings.
The
largest measures of this charity with which our apostle's breast was inflamed,
he expressed in the admirable zeal which he showed for the souls of men; in
which service he spent himself without ever being weary in journeys, in
preaching, in enduring patiently all fatigues, breaking through all difficulties
and discouragements, shunning no dangers that he might rescue men from error,
idolatry, or the snares of vice. A remarkable instance is recorded by Clement of
Alexandria and Eusebius. When St. John returned from Patmos to Ephesus, he made
a visitation of the churches of Lesser Asia to correct abuses and supply them
with worthy pastors. Coming to a neighbouring city, after having made a
discourse, he observed a young man in the company of a fair stature and pleasing
aspect, and being much taken with him, he presented him to the bishop whom he
had ordained for that see, saying, "In the presence of Christ, and before this
congregation, I earnestly recommend this young man to your care." The bishop
took the trust upon him and promised to discharge it with fidelity. The apostle
repeated his injunction and went back to Ephesus. The young man was lodged in
the bishop's house, instructed, kept to good discipline, and at length baptized
and confirmed by him. When this was done, the bishop, as if the person had been
now in a state of security, began to slacken the reins and be less watchful over
him. This was quickly perceived by a company of idle, debauched wretches, who
allured the youth into their society. By bad company he soon forgot the precepts
of the Christian religion, and passing from one degree of wickedness to another,
he at length stifled all remorse, put himself at the head of a band of robbers
and, taking to the highway, became the most cruel and profligate of the whole
band. Some time after, St. John was again called to the same city, and when he
had settled other affairs, said to the bishop, "Restore to me the trust which
Jesus Christ and I committed to you in presence of your church." The bishop was
surprised, imagining he meant some trust of money. But the saint explained
himself that he spoke of the young man, and the soul of his brother which he had
entrusted to his care. Then the bishop, with sighs and tears, said, "Alas! he is
dead." "What did he die of?" said our saint. The bishop replied, "He is dead to
God, is turned robber, and instead of being in the church with us, he hath
seized on a mountain, where he lives with a company of wicked men like himself."
The holy apostle having heard this, rent his garments and fetching a deep sigh
said, with tears, "Oh I what a guardian have I provided to watch over a
brother's soul" Presently he called for a horse and guide, and rode away to the
mountain where the robber and his gang kept their rendezvous; and being made
prisoner by their sentinels, he did not offer to fly or beg his life, but cried
out, "It is for this that I am come; lead me to your captain." They conducted
the saint to him, who stood at first armed to receive him; but when he saw it
was St. John, was seized with a mixture of shame and fear, and began to make off
with precipitation and confusion. The apostle, forgetting his feebleness and old
age, pursued him full speed, and cried out after him in these words: "Child, why
do you thus fly from me, your father, unarmed and an old man? My son, have
compassion on me. There is room for repentance; your salvation is not
irrecoverable. I will answer for you to Jesus Christ. I am ready most willingly
to lay down my life for you, as Jesus Christ laid down his for all men. I will
pledge my soul for yours. Stay, believe me, I am sent by Christ." At these words
the young man stood still, with his eyes fixed upon the ground; then throwing
away his arms, he trembled and burst into tears. When the apostle came up, the
penitent, bathed in tears, embraced his tender father, imploring forgiveness;
but he hid his right hand, which had been sullied with many crimes. By his sighs
and bitter compunction he endeavoured to satisfy for his sins as much as he was
able, and to find a second baptism in his tears, as our author St. Clement
emphatically expresses it. The apostle, with wonderful condescension and
affection, fell on his knees before him, kissed his right hand which the other
endeavoured in confusion to conceal, gave him fresh assurances of the divine
pardon, and, earnestly praying for him, brought him back to the church. He
continued some time in that place for his sake, praying and fasting with him and
for him, and comforting and encouraging him with the most affecting passages of
the holy scriptures. Nor did he leave the place till he had reconciled him to
the church, that is, by absolution restored him to the participation of the
sacraments.
This
charity, which our great saint was penetrated with and practiced himself, he
constantly and most affectionately pressed upon others. It is the great vein
that runs through his sacred writings, especially his epistles, where he urges
it as the great and peculiar law of Christianity, without which all pretensions
to this divine religion are vain and frivolous, useless and insignificant: and
this was his constant practice to his dying day. St. Jerome relates that when
age and weakness grew upon him at Ephesus, so that he was no longer able to
preach or make long discourses to the people, he used always to be carried to
the assembly of the faithful by his disciples with great difficulty; and every
time said to his flock only these words, "My dear children, love one another."
When his auditors, wearied with hearing constantly the same thing, asked him why
he always repeated the same words, he replied, "Because it is the precept of the
Lord, and if you comply with it, you do enough ": an answer, says St. Jerome,
worthy the great St. John, the favourite disciple of Christ, and which ought to
be engraved in characters of gold, or rather to be written in the heart of every
Christian. St. John died in peace at Ephesus, in the third year of Trajan (as
seems to be gathered from Eusebius's chronicle), that is, the hundredth of the
Christian era, or the sixty-sixth from our Lord's crucifixion, the saint being
then about ninety-four years old, according to St. Epiphanius. Some amongst the
ancients pretend that St. John never died, but are very well confuted by St.
Jerome and St. Austin. St. John was buried on a mountain without the town. The
dust of his tomb was carried away out of devotion, and was famous for miracles,
as St. Austin, St. Ephrem, and St. Gregory of Tours mention. A stately church
stood formerly over this tomb, which is at present a Turkish mosque. The 26th of
September is consecrated to the memory of St. John in the Greek church; and in
the Latin the 27th of December.
The
great love which this glorious saint bore to his God and Redeemer, and which he
kindled from his master's divine breast, inspired him with the most vehement and
generous charity for his neighbour. Without the sovereign love of God no one can
please him. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is charity." "Let us
therefore love God, because God first loved us." This is the first maxim in a
spiritual life, which this apostle most tenderly inculcates. The second is that
our fidelity in shunning all sin, and in keeping all God's commandments, is the
proof of our love for God, but especially a sincere love for our neighbour is
its great test. "For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he
love God whom he seeth not?" says St. John. Our blessed Redeemer, in the excess
of his boundless charity for all men, presses this duty upon all men, and, as an
infinitely tender parent, conjures all his children to love one another even for
his sake. He who most affectionately loves them all will have them all to be one
in him, and therefore commands us to bear with one another's infirmities and to
forgive one another all debts or injuries, and as much as in us lies "to live
peaceably with all men." This is the very genius and spirit of his law, without
which we can have nothing of a Christian disposition, or deserve the name of his
children or disciples. Neither can we hope with a peevish, passionate, or
unforgiving temper ever to be heirs of heaven. Harmony, goodness, unanimity,
mutual complacency, and love will be the invariable temper of all its blessed
inhabitants. No ruffling passion, no unfriendly thought, will ever be found
amongst them. Those happy regions are the abode of everlasting peace and love.
We must learn and cultivate this temper of heaven here on earth, or can never
hope to get thither. We are all professedly travelling together towards that
blessed place where, if we are so happy as to meet, we shall thus cordially
embrace each other. Does not this thought alone suffice to make us forget little
uneasinesses and to prevent our falling out by the way? St. John teaches us that
to attain to this heavenly and Christian disposition, to this twofold charity
towards God and towards our neighbour for his sake, we must subdue our passions
and die to the inordinate love of the world and ourselves. His hatred and
contempt of the world was equal to his love of God, and he cries out to us, "My
little children, love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If
anyone loves the world the charity of the Father is not in him."
St. John the Apostle
APOSTLE
Feast: December 27
|
Information:
|
|
St
John The Evangelist, who is styled in the gospel, The beloved disciple of
Christ," and is called by the Greeks "The Divine," was a Galilean, the son of
Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of St. James the Great, with whom he was
brought up to the trade of fishing. From his acquaintance with the high priest
Caiphas, St. Jerome infers that he was a gentleman by birth; but the meanness of
his father's trade, and the privacy of his fortune sufficiently prove that his
birth could not much distinguish him in the world, neither could his education
give him any tincture of secular learning. His acquaintance with the high priest
may be placed to some other account. Nicephorus Calixtus, a modern Greek
historian of the fourteenth century (in whom, amidst much rubbish, several
curious anecdotes are found), says, we know not upon what authority, that St.
John had sold a paternal estate to Annas, father-in-law to Caiphas, a little
before the death of our Lord. Before his coming to Christ he seems to have been
a disciple to John the Baptist, several thinking him to have been that other
disciple that was with St. Andrew when they left the Baptist to follow our
Saviour; so particularly does our Evangelist relate all the circumstances,
through modestly concealing his own name, as in other parts of the gospel. He
was properly called to be a disciple of our Lord, with his brother James, as
they were mending their nets on the same day, and soon after Jesus had called
Peter and Andrew. These two brothers continued still to follow their profession,
but upon seeing the miraculous draught of fishes, they left all things to attach
themselves more closely to him. Christ gave them the surname of Boanerges, or
sons of thunder, to express the strength and activity of their faith in
publishing the law of God without fearing the power of man. This epithet has
been particularly applied to St. John, who was truly a voice of thunder in
proclaiming aloud the most sublime mysteries of the divinity of Christ. He is
said to have been the youngest of all the apostles, probably about twenty-five
years of age, when he was called by Christ; for he lived seventy years after the
suffering of his divine Master. Piety, wisdom, and prudence equalled him in his
youth to those who with their grey hairs had been long exercised in the practice
and experience of virtue; and, by a pure and blameless life he was honourable in
the world. Our divine Redeemer had a particular affection for him above the rest
of the apostles; insomuch that when St. John speaks of himself, he saith that he
was "The disciple whom Jesus loved"; and frequently he mentions himself by this
only characteristic; which he did not out of pride to distinguish himself, but
out of gratitude and tender love for his blessed Master. If we inquire into the
causes of this particular love of Christ towards him, which was not blind or
unreasonable, the first was doubtless, as St. Austin observes, the love which
this disciple bore him; secondly, his meekness and peaceable disposition by
which he was extremely like Christ himself; thirdly, his virginal purity. For
St. Austin tells us that, "The singular privilege of his chastity rendered him
worthy of the more particular love of Christ, because being chosen by him a
virgin, he always remained such." St. Jerome sticks pot to call all his other
privileges and graces the recompense of his chastity, especially that which our
Lord did him by recommending in his last moments his virgin mother to the care
of this virgin disciple. St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, St. Epiphanius, and other
fathers frequently make the same reflection. Christ was pleased to choose a
virgin for his mother, a virgin for his precursor, and a virgin for his
favourite disciple; and his church suffers only those who live perfectly chaste
to serve him in his priesthood, where they daily touch and offer his virginal
flesh on his holy altar. In heaven virgins follow the spotless Lamb wherever he
goes. Who then can doubt but purity is the darling virtue of Jesus? "who feeds
among the lilies " of untarnished chastity. For "he who loves purity of heart
will have the king his friend." Another motive of the preference which Jesus
gave to this apostle in his intimacy and predilection, was his perfect innocence
and simplicity without guile in his youth. Virtue in that age has peculiar
charms to Christ, and is always a seed of extraordinary graces and
blessings.
The
love which Jesus bears is never barren. Of this his sufferings and death are the
strongest proof. As St. John had the happiness to be distinguished by Christ in
his holy love, so was he also in its glorious effects. Though these principally
consisted in the treasure of interior graces and virtues, exterior tokens,
helps, and comforts were not wanting. This appears from the familiarity and
intimacy with which his divine Master favoured him above the rest of the
apostles. Christ would have him with Peter and James privy to his
Transfiguration, and to his agony in the garden; and he showed St. John
particular instances of kindness and affection above all the rest. Witness this
apostle's lying in our Saviour's bosom at the last supper; it being then the
custom among the Jews often to lie along upon couches at meals, so that one
might lean his head upon the bosom of him that lay before him: which honour
Christ allowed St. John. No tongue certainly can express the sweetness and
ardour of the holy love which our saint on that occasion drew from the divine
breast of our Lord, which was the true furnace of pure and holy love. St. John
repeats this circumstance several times in his gospel to show its importance and
his grateful remembrance. We discover in the holy scriptures a close particular
friendship between St. John and St. Peter, which was doubtless founded in the
ardour of their love and zeal for their divine Master. When St. Peter durst not,
as it seems, says St. Jerome, propound the question to our Lord, who it was that
should betray him, he by signs desired St. John to do it, whose familiarity with
Christ allowed him more easily such a liberty, and our Lord gave him to
understand that Judas was the wretch, though, at least, except St. John, none
that were present seemed to have understood his answer, which was only given by
the signal of the traitor's dipping a morsel of bread with him in the dish. St.
Chrysostom says, that when our Lord was apprehended and the other apostles fled,
St. John never forsook him; and many imagine that he was the disciple who being
known to the high priest, got Peter admitted by the servants into the court of
Caiphas.
Our
saint seems to have accompanied Christ through all his sufferings; at least he
attended him during his crucifixion, standing under his cross, owning him in the
midst of arms and guards, and in the thickest crowds of his implacable enemies.
Here it was that our Lord declared the assurance he had of this disciple's
affection and fidelity, by recommending with his dying words, his holy mother to
his care; giving him the charge to love, honour, comfort, and provide for her
with that dutifulness and attention which the character of the best and most
indulgent mother challenges from an obedient and loving son. What more
honourable testimony could Christ have given him of his confidence, regard, and
affection, than this charge? Accordingly St. John took her to his home, and ever
after made her a principal part of his care. Christ had at the same time given
her to St. John for his mother, saying to her, "Woman, behold thy son." Our Lord
disdained not to call us all brethren, as St. Paul observes. And he recommended
us all as such to the maternal care of his own mother: but amongst these
adoptive sons St. John is the first-born. To him alone was given this special
privilege of being treated by her as if she had been his natural mother, and of
reciprocally treating her as such by respectfully honouring, serving, and
assisting her in person. This was the recompense of his constancy and fervour in
his divine Master's service and love. This holy apostle, though full of
inexpressible grief for the death of his divine Master, yet left not the cross
and saw his side opened with a spear; was attentive to the whole mystery and saw
the blood and water issue from the wound, of which he bore record. It is
believed that he was present at the taking down of our Lord's body from the
cross and helped to present it to his most blessed mother, and afterwards to lay
it in the sepulchre, watering it with abundance of tears, and kissing it with
extraordinary devotion and tenderness.
When
Mary Magdalen and other devout women brought word that they had not found
Christ's body in the sepulchre, Peter and John ran immediately thither, and
John, who was younger and more nimble, running faster, arrived first at the
place. Some few days after this, St. John went a-fishing in the lake of Tiberias
with other disciples; and Jesus appeared on the shore in a disguised form. St.
John, directed by the instinct of love, knew him and gave notice to Peter: they
all dined with him on the shore; and when dinner was ended, Christ walked along
the shore questioning Peter about the sincerity of his love, gave him the charge
of his church, and foretold his martyrdom. St. Peter seeing St. John walk
behind, and being solicitous for his friend, asked Jesus what would become of
him; supposing that as Christ testified a particular love for him, he would show
him some extraordinary favour. Christ checked his curiosity by telling him that
it was not his business if he should prolong John's life till he should come;
which most understand of his coming to destroy Jerusalem; an epoch which St.
John survived. Some of the disciples, however, misapprehended this answer so far
as to infer that John would remain in the body till Christ shall come to judge
the world: though St. John has taken care in his gospel to tell us that no such
thing was meant. After Christ's ascension, we find these two zealous apostles
going up to the temple and miraculously healing a poor cripple. Our two apostles
were imprisoned, but released again with an order no more to preach Christ, but
no threats daunted their courage. They were sent by the college of the apostles
to confirm the converts which Philip the Deacon had made in Samaria. St. John
was again apprehended by the Jews, with the rest of the apostles, and scourged;
but they went from the council rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to
suffer for the name of Jesus. When St. Paul went up to Jerusalem, three years
after his conversion, he saw there only St. Peter and St. James the Less, St.
John being probably absent. But St. Paul, going thither in the fourteenth year
after his conversion, addressed himself to those who seemed to be pillars of the
church, chiefly Peter and John, who confirmed to him his mission among the
infidels. About that time St. John assisted at the council which the apostles
held at Jerusalem in the year 51. For St. Clement of Alexandria tells us, that
all the apostles attended in it. That father says, that Christ at his ascension
preferred St. Peter, St. James the Less, and St. John to the rest of the
apostles, though there was no strife or pre-eminence amongst any in that sacred
college, and this St. James was chosen Bishop of Jerusalem. St. Clement adds,
that our Lord particularly instructed these three apostles in many sacred
mysteries, and that the rest of the apostles received much holy science from
them.
St.
John seems to have remained chiefly at Jerusalem for a long time, though he
sometimes preached abroad. Parthia is said to have been the chief scene of his
apostolical labours. St. Austin sometimes quotes his first epistle under the
title of his Epistle to the Parthians; and by a title then prefixed to it in
some copies it seems to have been addressed to the Jews that were dispersed
through the provinces of the Parthian empire. Certain late missionaries in the
East Indies assure us, that the inhabitants of Bassora, a city upon the mouth of
the Tigris and Euphrates, on the Persian gulf, affirm, by a tradition received
from their ancestors, that St. John planted the Christian faith in their
country. He came to Jerusalem in the year 62 to meet the rest of the apostles
who were then living, when they chose in council St. Simeon, bishop of that
church after the martyrdom of St. James the Less. It seems to have been after
the death of the Blessed Virgin that St. John visited Lesser Asia, making those
parts his peculiar care, and residing at Ephesus, the capital of that country.
It is certain that he was not come thither in 64, when St. Paul left St. Timothy
bishop of that city. St. Irenaeus tells us, that he did not settle there till
after the death of SS. Peter and Paul. St. Timothy continued still Bishop of
Ephesus till his martyrdom in 97. But the apostolical authority of St. John was
universal and superior, and the charity and humility of these two holy men
prevented all differences upon account of their jurisdiction. St. John preached
in other parts and took care of all the churches of Asia which, St. Jerome says,
he founded and governed. Tertullian adds that he placed bishops in all that
country; by which we are to understand that he confirmed and governed those
which SS. Peter and Paul had established, and appointed others in many other
churches which he founded. It is even probable that in the course of his long
life, he put bishops into all the churches of Asia: for while the apostles
lived, they supplied the churches with bishops of their own appointing by the
guidance of the Holy Ghost, and by virtue of their commission to plant the
church.
St.
John, in his extreme old age, continued often to visit the churches of Asia, and
sometimes undertook journeys to assume to the sacred ministry a single person
whom the Holy Ghost had marked out to him. Appollonius, not the Roman senator,
apologist, and martyr, but a Greek father who wrote against the Montanists, and
confuted their pretended prophecies step by step, about the year 192, assures us
that St. John raised a dead man to life at Ephesus. A certain priest of Asia
having been convicted of writing a fabulous account of the voyages of St. Paul
and St. Thecla, in defence and honour of that apostle, was deposed by St. John.
St. Epiphanius affirms, that St. John was carried into Asia by the special
direction of the Holy Ghost, to oppose the heresies of Ebion and Cerinthus. St.
Irena us relates that St. John, who ordinarily never made use of a bath, went to
bathe on some extraordinary occasion, but understanding that Cerinthus was
within, started back, and said to some friends that were with him, "Let us, my
brethren, make haste and be gone, lest the bath, wherein is Cerinthus the enemy
of the Truth, should fall upon our heads." Dr. Conyers Middleton, in his
posthumous works, pretends this anecdote must be false, because inconsistent
with this apostle's extraordinary meekness. But St. Irenaeus tells us he
received this account from the very mouth of St. Polycarp, St. John's disciple,
whose behaviour to Marcion is an instance of the same spirit. This great apostle
would teach his flock to beware of the conversation of those who wilfully
corrupted the truth of religion, and by their ensnaring speeches endeavoured to
seduce others. This maxim he inculcates in his second epistle, but this
precaution was restrained to the authors of the pestilential seduction.
Nevertheless, the very characteristic of St. John was universal meekness and
charity towards all the world. But towards himself he was always most severe;
and St. Epiphanius tells us, that he never wore any clothes but a tunic and a
linen garment, and never ate flesh; and that his way of living was not unlike
that of St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was remarkable for austerity and
mortification.
In
the second general persecution, in the year 95, St. John was apprehended by the
proconsul of Asia and sent to Rome, where he was miraculously preserved from
death when thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. On account of this trial, the
title of martyr is given him by the fathers, who say that thus was fulfilled
what Christ had foretold him, that he should drink of his cup. The idolaters,
who pretended to account for such miracles by sorcery, blinded themselves to
this evidence, and the tyrant Domitian banished St. John into the isle of
Patmos, one of the Sporades in the Archipelago. In this retirement the apostle
was favoured with those heavenly visions which he has recorded in the canonical
book of the Revelations, or of the Apocalypse: they were manifested to him on a
Sunday in the year 96. The first three chapters are evidently a prophetic
instruction given to seven neighbouring churches of Asia Minor, and to the
bishops who governed them. The three last chapters celebrate the triumph of
Christ, the judgment and reward of his saints. The intermediate chapters are
variously expounded. By these visions God gave St. John a prospect of the future
state of the church. His exile was not of long continuance; for Domitian being
slain in September in 96, all his edicts and public acts were declared void by a
decree of the senate on account of his excessive cruelty; and his successor,
Nerva, recalled all those whom he had banished. St. John, therefore, returned to
Ephesus in 97, where he found that St. Timothy had been crowned with martyrdom
on the preceding 22nd of January. The apostle was obliged, by the pressing
entreaties of the whole flock, to take upon him the particular government of
that church, which he held till the reign of Trajan. St. John, in imitation of
the high priest of the Jews, wore a plate of gold upon his forehead, as an
ensign of his Christian priesthood, as Polycrates informs us. St. Epiphanius
relates the same of St. James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, and the author of the
history of the martyrdom of St. Mark the Evangelist, attributes to him the same
ornament. St. John celebrated the Christian Pasch on the 14th day of the moon,
agreeing as to time with the Jewish passover; but was so far from holding the
Jewish rites of obligation in the New Law, that he condemned that heresy in the
Nazarites. and in Ebion and Cerinthus.
As
his apostolic labours were chiefly bestowed among the Jews, he judged such a
conformity, which was then allowable, conducive to their conversion.
The
ancient fathers informs us that it was principally to confute the blasphemies of
Ebion and Cerinthus, who denied the divinity of Christ, and even his
pre-existence before his temporal birth, that St. John composed his gospel.
Another reason was, to supply certain omissions of the other three gospels,
which he read and confirmed by his approbation. He therefore principally insists
on the actions of Christ, from the commencement of his ministry to the death of
the Baptist, wherein the others were sparing; and he largely records his
discourses, mentioning fewer miracles. It being his principal aim to set forth
the divinity of Christ, he begins with the eternal generation and his creating
the world; and both his subject and manner of treating it is so sublime and
mysterious, that Tbeodoret calls his gospel "a theology which human
understanding can never fully penetrate and find out." Hence he is compared by
the ancients: to an eagle, soaring aloft within the clouds, whither the weak eye
of man is unable to follow him; and by the Greeks he is honoured with the title
of The Divine. St. Jerome relates, that "when he was earnestly pressed by the
brethren to write his gospel, he answered he would do it, if by ordering a
common fast they would all put up their prayers together to God"; which being
ended, replenished with the clearest and fullest revelation coming from heaven,
he burst forth into that preface: "In the beginning was the word," &c. St.
Chrysostom and other fathers mention that the evangelist prepared himself for
this divine undertaking by retirement, prayer, and contemplation. Some think he
wrote his gospel in the isle of Patmos; but it is the more general opinion that
he composed it after his return to Ephesus, about the year of our Lord 98, of
his age ninety-two, after our Lord's ascension sixty-four. This apostle also
wrote three epistles. The first is Catholic, or addressed to all Christians,
especially his convert. whom he presses to purity and holiness of manners, and
he cautions them against the crafty insinuations of seducers, especially the
Simonians and Cerinthians. The other two epistles are short, and directed to
particular persons: the one a lady of honourable quality called, as it seems,
Electa (though some think this rather an epithet of honour than a proper name);
the other Gaius, or Caius, a courteous entertainer of all indigent Christians;
rather one of that name at Derbe, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, than
the Caius of Corinth, of whom St. Paul speaks. The style and sentiments in St.
John's gospel and in these epistles are the same; and the same inimitable spirit
of charity reigns throughout all these writings.
The
largest measures of this charity with which our apostle's breast was inflamed,
he expressed in the admirable zeal which he showed for the souls of men; in
which service he spent himself without ever being weary in journeys, in
preaching, in enduring patiently all fatigues, breaking through all difficulties
and discouragements, shunning no dangers that he might rescue men from error,
idolatry, or the snares of vice. A remarkable instance is recorded by Clement of
Alexandria and Eusebius. When St. John returned from Patmos to Ephesus, he made
a visitation of the churches of Lesser Asia to correct abuses and supply them
with worthy pastors. Coming to a neighbouring city, after having made a
discourse, he observed a young man in the company of a fair stature and pleasing
aspect, and being much taken with him, he presented him to the bishop whom he
had ordained for that see, saying, "In the presence of Christ, and before this
congregation, I earnestly recommend this young man to your care." The bishop
took the trust upon him and promised to discharge it with fidelity. The apostle
repeated his injunction and went back to Ephesus. The young man was lodged in
the bishop's house, instructed, kept to good discipline, and at length baptized
and confirmed by him. When this was done, the bishop, as if the person had been
now in a state of security, began to slacken the reins and be less watchful over
him. This was quickly perceived by a company of idle, debauched wretches, who
allured the youth into their society. By bad company he soon forgot the precepts
of the Christian religion, and passing from one degree of wickedness to another,
he at length stifled all remorse, put himself at the head of a band of robbers
and, taking to the highway, became the most cruel and profligate of the whole
band. Some time after, St. John was again called to the same city, and when he
had settled other affairs, said to the bishop, "Restore to me the trust which
Jesus Christ and I committed to you in presence of your church." The bishop was
surprised, imagining he meant some trust of money. But the saint explained
himself that he spoke of the young man, and the soul of his brother which he had
entrusted to his care. Then the bishop, with sighs and tears, said, "Alas! he is
dead." "What did he die of?" said our saint. The bishop replied, "He is dead to
God, is turned robber, and instead of being in the church with us, he hath
seized on a mountain, where he lives with a company of wicked men like himself."
The holy apostle having heard this, rent his garments and fetching a deep sigh
said, with tears, "Oh I what a guardian have I provided to watch over a
brother's soul" Presently he called for a horse and guide, and rode away to the
mountain where the robber and his gang kept their rendezvous; and being made
prisoner by their sentinels, he did not offer to fly or beg his life, but cried
out, "It is for this that I am come; lead me to your captain." They conducted
the saint to him, who stood at first armed to receive him; but when he saw it
was St. John, was seized with a mixture of shame and fear, and began to make off
with precipitation and confusion. The apostle, forgetting his feebleness and old
age, pursued him full speed, and cried out after him in these words: "Child, why
do you thus fly from me, your father, unarmed and an old man? My son, have
compassion on me. There is room for repentance; your salvation is not
irrecoverable. I will answer for you to Jesus Christ. I am ready most willingly
to lay down my life for you, as Jesus Christ laid down his for all men. I will
pledge my soul for yours. Stay, believe me, I am sent by Christ." At these words
the young man stood still, with his eyes fixed upon the ground; then throwing
away his arms, he trembled and burst into tears. When the apostle came up, the
penitent, bathed in tears, embraced his tender father, imploring forgiveness;
but he hid his right hand, which had been sullied with many crimes. By his sighs
and bitter compunction he endeavoured to satisfy for his sins as much as he was
able, and to find a second baptism in his tears, as our author St. Clement
emphatically expresses it. The apostle, with wonderful condescension and
affection, fell on his knees before him, kissed his right hand which the other
endeavoured in confusion to conceal, gave him fresh assurances of the divine
pardon, and, earnestly praying for him, brought him back to the church. He
continued some time in that place for his sake, praying and fasting with him and
for him, and comforting and encouraging him with the most affecting passages of
the holy scriptures. Nor did he leave the place till he had reconciled him to
the church, that is, by absolution restored him to the participation of the
sacraments.
This
charity, which our great saint was penetrated with and practiced himself, he
constantly and most affectionately pressed upon others. It is the great vein
that runs through his sacred writings, especially his epistles, where he urges
it as the great and peculiar law of Christianity, without which all pretensions
to this divine religion are vain and frivolous, useless and insignificant: and
this was his constant practice to his dying day. St. Jerome relates that when
age and weakness grew upon him at Ephesus, so that he was no longer able to
preach or make long discourses to the people, he used always to be carried to
the assembly of the faithful by his disciples with great difficulty; and every
time said to his flock only these words, "My dear children, love one another."
When his auditors, wearied with hearing constantly the same thing, asked him why
he always repeated the same words, he replied, "Because it is the precept of the
Lord, and if you comply with it, you do enough ": an answer, says St. Jerome,
worthy the great St. John, the favourite disciple of Christ, and which ought to
be engraved in characters of gold, or rather to be written in the heart of every
Christian. St. John died in peace at Ephesus, in the third year of Trajan (as
seems to be gathered from Eusebius's chronicle), that is, the hundredth of the
Christian era, or the sixty-sixth from our Lord's crucifixion, the saint being
then about ninety-four years old, according to St. Epiphanius. Some amongst the
ancients pretend that St. John never died, but are very well confuted by St.
Jerome and St. Austin. St. John was buried on a mountain without the town. The
dust of his tomb was carried away out of devotion, and was famous for miracles,
as St. Austin, St. Ephrem, and St. Gregory of Tours mention. A stately church
stood formerly over this tomb, which is at present a Turkish mosque. The 26th of
September is consecrated to the memory of St. John in the Greek church; and in
the Latin the 27th of December.
The
great love which this glorious saint bore to his God and Redeemer, and which he
kindled from his master's divine breast, inspired him with the most vehement and
generous charity for his neighbour. Without the sovereign love of God no one can
please him. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is charity." "Let us
therefore love God, because God first loved us." This is the first maxim in a
spiritual life, which this apostle most tenderly inculcates. The second is that
our fidelity in shunning all sin, and in keeping all God's commandments, is the
proof of our love for God, but especially a sincere love for our neighbour is
its great test. "For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how can he
love God whom he seeth not?" says St. John. Our blessed Redeemer, in the excess
of his boundless charity for all men, presses this duty upon all men, and, as an
infinitely tender parent, conjures all his children to love one another even for
his sake. He who most affectionately loves them all will have them all to be one
in him, and therefore commands us to bear with one another's infirmities and to
forgive one another all debts or injuries, and as much as in us lies "to live
peaceably with all men." This is the very genius and spirit of his law, without
which we can have nothing of a Christian disposition, or deserve the name of his
children or disciples. Neither can we hope with a peevish, passionate, or
unforgiving temper ever to be heirs of heaven. Harmony, goodness, unanimity,
mutual complacency, and love will be the invariable temper of all its blessed
inhabitants. No ruffling passion, no unfriendly thought, will ever be found
amongst them. Those happy regions are the abode of everlasting peace and love.
We must learn and cultivate this temper of heaven here on earth, or can never
hope to get thither. We are all professedly travelling together towards that
blessed place where, if we are so happy as to meet, we shall thus cordially
embrace each other. Does not this thought alone suffice to make us forget little
uneasinesses and to prevent our falling out by the way? St. John teaches us that
to attain to this heavenly and Christian disposition, to this twofold charity
towards God and towards our neighbour for his sake, we must subdue our passions
and die to the inordinate love of the world and ourselves. His hatred and
contempt of the world was equal to his love of God, and he cries out to us, "My
little children, love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If
anyone loves the world the charity of the Father is not in him."
|
