Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist – II Classis
On this radiant feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, the Church gives us a profound pairing of readings: the sapiential promise of Sirach 15:1–6 and the intimate final exchange between the Risen Christ and St. Peter in John 21:19–24, where the mysterious role of John himself is disclosed.
“He shall find joy, and a crown of gladness”
Sirach 15:1–6 sets the tone:
“He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her,
And she will meet him as an honourable mother, and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin.
With the bread of life and understanding she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink.
And he shall be stayed upon her, and shall not be moved: and shall rely upon her, and shall not be confounded.
And she shall exalt him above his neighbours, and in the midst of the church she shall open his mouth,
And shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory.” (Ecclus 15:1–6, Douay-Rheims)
Here we see a figure who embodies the highest fruits of divine wisdom. He is fed with panem vitae—the bread of life and understanding. This is no ordinary nourishment, but the sapiential food that foreshadows both the Eucharist and the intimate knowledge of the Logos, the Eternal Word.
What better image for St. John, the disciple who leaned upon the Lord’s breast at the Last Supper, who drank deeply from the wellspring of the Savior’s heart? St. Augustine, contemplating this intimacy, writes:
“That breast was the secret of the heart of Christ. Happy was he who drank from it the hidden things!”
— Tractate 118 on the Gospel of John
“Lord, and what shall this man do?”
In John 21:19–24, the risen Christ foretells Peter’s martyrdom. Peter, ever impulsive, turns to ask about John:
“Lord, and what shall this man do?”
Christ responds with a note of mystery:
“If I will that he tarry till I come, what is it to thee? Follow thou me.”
This exchange has perplexed and inspired the Church for centuries. The Fathers saw in it both a veiled prophecy and a profound spiritual instruction. St. Jerome comments:
“John remained in the flesh until the second coming of Christ—not that he should not die, but because in the vision of the Apocalypse, he saw the coming of the Lord.”
— Epistle 120, To Hedibia
Indeed, John did not suffer martyrdom as the other Apostles did, but his life bore witness through suffering in exile and mystical vision. Tradition tells us he was plunged into boiling oil, yet emerged unharmed. God preserved him not from trial, but through it, that he might become the vessel of Revelation.
The Contemplative and the Martyr: Two Ways, One Lord
In Peter and John, the Church beholds two essential paths in the following of Christ: the active path of martyrdom and the contemplative path of divine intimacy.
St. Gregory the Great, reflecting on this duality, writes:
“In the Church, John represents the contemplative life, Peter the active life. The former rests in love; the latter labors in obedience.”
— Homily on the Gospels, XXXIX
John’s closeness to Christ, symbolized by his reclining at the Last Supper, speaks of a soul that has transcended the anxieties of the world to dwell in the mystery of the Divine. His Gospel begins not with history, but with eternity: “In the beginning was the Word.” It is as if John never left the bosom of Jesus, but wrote from within it.
Filled with Wisdom, Clothed with Glory
The promise of Sirach is fulfilled in John. He is fed with heavenly wisdom, and in the midst of the Church his mouth is opened. His Gospel and Apocalypse form the crown of sacred Scripture—“a robe of glory” indeed.
For us, who walk through this present darkness, John shows the way of loving contemplation. We may not see visions or hear voices from heaven, but we are invited, like him, to rest upon the Heart of Jesus through prayer, adoration, and fidelity to His Word.
The Collect for this feast fittingly prays:
“Sanctify, O Lord, and protect Thy people: that, strengthened by the assistance of Thine Apostle John, they may delight in spiritual health and be defended by temporal help.”
May we, like St. John, remain steadfast—not necessarily through great deeds, but through great love. And when others ask, “What shall this man do?” may we hear Christ’s answer to each of us:
“Follow thou Me.”