Nearest to Jesus' Crib, after St. Stephen, stands John, the Apostle and Evangelist. The first gave his blood for Christ, while the second gave his virginity. The first stands as a type of Martyr, while the second is honored as the Prince of Virgins.
St. John was of the family of David, as was our Blessed Mother. He is consequently a relation of Jesus. This same honor belonged to St. James the Greater, his brother; as also to St. James the Less and St. Jude, both sons of Alpheus, (who I believe was related to St. Joseph). When our Saint was in the prime of his youth, he left not only his boat and nets, not only his father Zebedee, but even his betrothed, when everything was prepared for the marriage. He followed Jesus, and never once looked back. Hence the special love which our Lord bore him. Others were Disciples or Apostles, John was the Friend of Jesus. The cause of this our Lord's partiality was, as the Church tells us in the Liturgy, was that John had offered his Virginity to the God-Man. Let us, on this his Feast day, enumerate the graces and privileges that came to St. John from his being the Disciple whom Jesus loved.
This very expression of the Gospel, which the Evangelist repeats several times--The Disciple whom Jesus loved--says more than any commentary could do. St. Peter, it is true, was chosen by our Divine Lord to be the Head of the Apostolic College, and the Rock whereon the Church was to be built: he, then, was honored most; but St. John was loved most. Peter was bid to love more than the rest loved, and he was able to say, in answer to Jesus' thrice repeated question, that he did love him in this highest way: and yet, notwithstanding, John was more loved by Jesus than was Peter himself, because his Virginity deserved this special mark of honor.
Chastity of soul and body brings him who possesses it into a sacred nearness and intimacy with God. Hence it was that at the Last Supper--that Supper which was to be renewed on our Altars to the end of the world, in order to cure our spiritual infirmities and give life to our souls--John was placed near to Jesus, nay, was permitted, as the tenderly loved Disciple, to lean his head upon the Breast of the God-Man. Then it was that he was filled, from their very Fountain, with Light and Love: it was both a recompense and a favor, and became the source of two signal graces, which make St. John an object of special reverence to the whole Church.
Divine Wisdom wishing to make known to the world the Mystery of the Word, and commit to Scripture those profound secrets which, so far, no pen of mortal had been permitted to write, the task was put upon John. Peter had been crucified, Paul had been beheaded, and the rest of the Apostles had laid down their lives in testimony of the Truths they had been sent to preach to the world; John was the only one left in the Church. Heresy had already begun its blasphemies against the Apostolic Teachings; it refused to admit the Incarnate Word as the Son of God, Consubstantial to the Father. John was asked by the Churches to speak, and he did so in language heavenly above measure. His Divine Master had reserved to this his Virgin-Disciple the honor of writing those sublime Mysteries which the other Apostles had been commissioned only to teach--AND THE WORD WAS GOD, and this WORD WAS MADE FLESH for the salvation of mankind. Thus did our Evangelist soar, like the Eagle, up to the Divine Sun, and gaze upon Him with undazzled eye, because his heart and senses were pure, and therefore fitted for such vision of the uncreated Light. If Moses, after having conversed with God in the cloud, came from the divine interview with rays of miraculous light encircling his head: how radiant must have been the face of St. John, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! (Col. ii 3); how sublime his writings!; how divine his teaching! Hence the symbol of the Eagle, shown to the Prophet Ezechiel (Ezech. i 10; x 14), and to St. John himself in his Revelations (Apoc. iv 7), has been assigned to him by the Church: and to this title of The Eagle has been added, by the universal Tradition, the other beautiful name of Theologian.
This was the first recompense given by Jesus to his Beloved John--a profound penetration into divine Mysteries. The second was the imparting to him of a most ardent charity, which was equally a grace consequent upon his angelic purity, for purity unburdens the soul from grovelling egotistic affections, and raises it to a chaste and generous love. John had treasured up in his heart the Discourses of his Master: he made them known to the Church, and especially that divine one of the Last Supper, wherein Jesus had poured forth His whole Soul to his own, whom He had always tenderly loved, but most so at the end. He wrote his Epistles, and Charity is his subject: God is Charity--he that loveth not, knoweth not God--perfect Charity casteth out fear--and so on throughout, always on Love. During the rest of his life, even when so enfeebled by old age as not to be able to walk, he was forever insisting upon all men to love each other, after the example of God, Who had loved them and so loved them! Thus, he that had announced more clearly than the rest of the Apostles the divinity of the Incarnate Word, was par excellence the Apostle of that divine Charity which Jesus came to enkindle upon the earth.
But our Lord had a further gift to bestow, and it was sweetly appropriate to the Virgin-Disciple. When dying on His Cross, Jesus left Mary upon this earth. Joseph had been dead now some years. Who then shall watch over His Mother? Who is there worthy of the charge? Will Jesus send His Angels to protect and console her? Surely, what man could ever merit to be to her as a second Joseph? Looking down, He sees the Virgin-Disciple standing at the foot of the Cross: we know the rest, John is to be Mary's son: Mary is to be John's Mother. Oh! wonderful Chastity, that wins form Jesus such an inheritance as this! Peter, says St. Peter Damian, 'shall have left to him the Church,
the Mother of men; but John shall receive Mary, the Mother of God, whom he will love as his own dearest Treasure, and to whom he will stand in Jesus' stead; while Mary will tenderly love John, her Jesus' Friend, as her son.
Can we be surprised after this, that St. John is looked upon by the Church as one of her greatest glories? He is a relative of Jesus in the flesh; he is an Apostle, a Virgin, the Friend of the Divine Spouse, the Eagle, the Theologian, the son of Mary; he is an Evangelist, by the history he has given of the Life of his Divine Master and Friend; he is a sacred Writer, by the three Epistles he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; he is a Prophet, by his mysterious Apocalypse, wherein are treasured the secrets of time and eternity. But is he a Martyr? Yes, for if he did not complete his sacrifice, he drank the Chalice of Jesus, when, after being cruelly scourged, he was thrown into a caldron of boiling oil before the Latin Gate at Rome. He was therefore a Martyr in desire and intention, though not in fact. If our Lord, wishing to prolong a life so dear to the Church, as well as to show how He loves and honors Virginity, miraculously stayed the effects of the frightful punishment, St. John had, on his part, unreservedly accepted Martyrdom.
...Let us unite our homage with that given him by these favored inmates of his court. Yesterday the sight of the Palm in Stephen's hand animated us,, and we offered to or Jesus the promise of a stronger Faith: today the Wreath that decks the brow of the Beloved Disciple breathes upon the Church the heavenly fragrance of Virginity: an intenser love of Purity must be our resolution, and our tribute to the Lamb.
Our Collect for today:
Mercifully, O Lord, enlighten thy Church: that being taught by Blessed John, thine Apostle and Evangelist, she may come to thy eternal rewards.
Reflection: Saint John is a living proof of Our Lord's beatitude: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)
No comments:
Post a Comment