SAINT JOHN - DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

Dear God,

I pray to You through the intercession
of Your beloved disciple John,
the brother of James.

You called them both from their fishing nets
to become "fishers of men."

John was the youngest of Your apostles.
We read that he was, above all the others,
“the disciple whom You loved.”

Tradition holds that John leaned upon
Your chest at the last supper.
Church Fathers write of John's virginal purity and the tender love he bore for You.

Thomas of Aquinas writes that John was more loved by You than the other apostles
because of his exceptional innocence.

Saint Anselm writes that You revealed to John "the greatest mysteries because he surpassed all in virginal purity.”

We see in the Gospel that John was one of Your most intimate friends, and that he was,
in consequence, admitted into Your Presence when no others except Peter and James
were allowed to be near.

John was with You when You healed
Peter's mother-in-law, and when You raised
the daughter of Jairus from the dead,
and when You were transfigured on Mount Tabor, and when You suffered Your terrible
Agony in the Garden of Olives.

With Mary, he followed You to Calvary.

Dying on the cross, You, who had lived
in virginal chastity, trusted Your own
Virgin Mother to no one else but John,
who himself lived in virginal purity.
You named him to be the son and protector
of Your own Mother, Mary.

John remained there on Calvary with Mary
until Your broken heart had stopped bleeding, and Your broken body was taken down
from the cross in the fading sad sun
of our salvation day.

Saint Jerome wrote:
“Christ, a virgin, recommended Mary, a virgin, to the care of John, a virgin.”

No greater grace could John have asked
of You. No more evident proof could You have given of Your love for him. The most precious thing which You possessed on earth, Your holy Mother, You commended to Your beloved disciple.

You took John as Your brother,
by giving him as son to Your mother, Mary.

Receive me, Lord, as a disciple
of Your true disciple, John, and help me live
a pure and worthy life as he did.

Please receive me, too, as Your brother,
and make me son to Your mother, Mary.

Cleanse me of my sins,
Jesus, my God and my Creator,
and make me worthy of Your divine love.

All this I pray through the intercession
of Saint John, and of Your blessed mother, Mary.

Amen