Transformed by Love!

Saturday, December 27, 2025

Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

1 Jn 1:1-4; Jn 20:1a and 2-8

The feast of St. John, the Evangelist, invites us to develop a personal and affective relationship with Jesus. 

Though John’s Gospel is unique in many themes, such as Christology, Mariology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology, and Sacramental Theology, thus making it quite interdisciplinary, what stands out from the rest is its insistence on developing an affective dimension of the relationship with Jesus. 

In terms of difference, while the synoptic Gospels emphasize discipleship more centered on outward expressions inspired by practical considerations like charity towards the needy, compassion towards the lowly, renouncing greed, carrying the daily cross, preaching the Kingdom, etc., John’s Gospel insists on a personal experience of Jesus as foundational to discipleship before any justification through outward expressions. No wonder, John’s Gospel mentions the word ‘disciple’ seventy-seven times. 

Nevertheless, we must be clear not to conclude that either the synoptic Gospels lack personal focus or that John’s Gospel misses out on outward expression of the inner experiential encounter with Jesus. Instead, we must understand that it is precisely such differences that bring out the multidimensionality of Jesus. The variety of angles unique to the four Gospels spices up our perspectives on discipleship. 

John, known as the Beloved Disciple of Christ, experienced Jesus in such a personal way that he invites his readers to share a similar experience.

For John, discipleship starts with recognizing Jesus’ divinity through the seven ‘I AM’ statements and believing in him (Jn 20:31). For this reason, the verb ‘believe’ has been used nearly a hundred times in the Gospel. 

John is fond of the word ‘abide’ (Meno in Greek) to explain the abiding relationship with Jesus, the True Vine. If bearing fruit is the purpose of discipleship, our fruitfulness depends on abiding with the Lord. 

For John, love (Agape) is the mark of true discipleship. For this reason, John singles out the self-sacrificing love of Jesus while underlining that it is a command for his followers (Jn 13:34-35). The word ‘love’ appears fifty-six times in the Gospel.

Moved by the uniqueness of John’s Gospel, a quote attributed to St. Augustine reads, ‘It is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim in it.’ The simple message of John’s Gospel (Jn 3:16 & 20:31) calls for a profound understanding.

John’s personal journey of faith transformed the ‘Son of Thunder,’ known for his zeal, into an ‘Apostle of Love’ who penned down the most intimate of the four Gospels. 

John wrote down what he himself experienced. Through his writing, the beloved disciple of Jesus extends the privilege of becoming Jesus’ beloved to everyone.

Let us pray that we may understand the importance of the inwardness of relationship with Christ so that we may manifest it externally. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar