Saint of the Day
St. John the Apostle
John, son of Zebedee, was one of the Twelve Apostles and the "beloved disciple" of the fourth Gospel. He was present at the Transfiguration, in Gethsemane, and at the foot of the cross. According to tradition, he was the only apostle who did not die a martyr's death, living to old age in Ephesus. He wrote the Gospel of John, three epistles, and the Revelation. His central message, summed up in old age, was simply: "Little children, love one another."
Scripture Reading
1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.
Reflection
John the Apostle was an eyewitness: he heard, saw, touched the Word of life. His whole theology flows from that encounter — because he had seen the love of God made flesh, he could not stop saying, "love one another." Christmas is not sentimental nostalgia; it is the ground of the most demanding command: love as he loved.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord, I just want to take this time to thank you for my man and all that you have done in bringing us together. Thank you, Lord, for the love and companionship that we share. I am grateful for the genuine love that we share for each other. More than anything Lord, I thank you for bringing our path together and allowing us to share that perfect love and harmony that you have endorsed. Please continue to fill the heart of man with love, compassion and care. Take away distractions and the wanton care of this world away from him and let his focus remain on that which really matter.
Amen.