By Archimandrite Demetrios Politakis,
Preacher of the Sacred Archdiocese of Crete
Preacher of the Sacred Archdiocese of Crete
Today
our Church celebrates the memory of Saint John the Evangelist and
Theologian, the youngest of the twelve Apostles and the beloved disciple
of Jesus.
Today our Church celebrates John whom she duly honors and calls him Apostle, Evangelist, Theologian, Beloved, Virgin, that is, pure in soul and body, nicknames that have as a principle, as a basis, the great virtue of sincere love.
In the tradition of more than twenty centuries, our Church has given him the title of Theologian, which she has given to only three Saints: Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Symeon the New Theologian and Saint John the Theologian.
John was the faithful and devoted disciple of Christ throughout his life.
He followed the Lord everywhere, did not miss a moment of His presence, never left Christ, neither when He was arrested, nor when He was judged, nor when He was crucified, even when all the other disciples were hiding "for fear of the Jews."
John was a devoted disciple, which is why the Lord only entrusted to him who would be the one to betray Him. That is why he took him with Peter and James to Mount Tabor, revealing to them part of His divine glory.
John was His beloved disciple, so He entrusted to him when He was on the Cross, just before the "It is finished", His Mother the Panagia.
John was His faithful follower, which is why the Lord revealed to him all the future events around the end times, all that took place from the moment of Creation (John 1) and all that will take place until the Second Coming (Revelation 22).
John the Evangelist and Theologian, the simple and little educated fisherman, is the author of the fourth Gospel, three Catholic Epistles and the Book of Revelation.
God found him worthy to become a great teacher of Theology and according to Holy Scripture and the Fathers to not taste death, that is why our Church today does not celebrate his repose, but his Metastasis [a Greek word indicating a transference from one location to another] in Heaven.
John was sensitive as a character, expressive, spontaneous, he loved his Master, he had in him Christ who is the beginning, the source of Theology, Truth and Life.
He was taught about love by being close to the Love that is the Lord, that is why he was the Evangelist of Love who preached about the love of God for people, about the love of people for God and among themselves, for a true love that must be the first and foremost feature of all Christians: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them" (John 4:16).
Our Church called him a Theologian because of the high theological messages of his works and especially for the thorough and in-depth development of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
John the Theologian was found worthy to be identified with one of the four symbolic living creatures that the Prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision, the eagle, because of the true Knowledge of God and the soaring height of his theological works.
Beloved,
In an ever-changing world, John the Evangelist, the Theologian, the Apostle, is a role model for all of us. A model preacher, theologian, student, brother, friend ... an example of love.
A love that fears and cares for nothing but to keep the commandments of God.
John the Evangelist is the one who gave his existence to Jesus and devoted himself completely to His love, which is why he became a theologian, a true Theologian and a Disciple of Love.
Do we, the modern-day disciples of Jesus, have the power of faith and the courage to confess, as John did?
Are we inspired by the flame of love that emanates from the sensitive heart of the beloved disciple?
Do we have, even a little, knowledge from the real knowledge of the Theology of the Evangelist and Theologian John?
These questions deserve to be answered clearly and honestly ... to ourselves.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Today our Church celebrates John whom she duly honors and calls him Apostle, Evangelist, Theologian, Beloved, Virgin, that is, pure in soul and body, nicknames that have as a principle, as a basis, the great virtue of sincere love.
In the tradition of more than twenty centuries, our Church has given him the title of Theologian, which she has given to only three Saints: Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Symeon the New Theologian and Saint John the Theologian.
John was the faithful and devoted disciple of Christ throughout his life.
He followed the Lord everywhere, did not miss a moment of His presence, never left Christ, neither when He was arrested, nor when He was judged, nor when He was crucified, even when all the other disciples were hiding "for fear of the Jews."
John was a devoted disciple, which is why the Lord only entrusted to him who would be the one to betray Him. That is why he took him with Peter and James to Mount Tabor, revealing to them part of His divine glory.
John was His beloved disciple, so He entrusted to him when He was on the Cross, just before the "It is finished", His Mother the Panagia.
John was His faithful follower, which is why the Lord revealed to him all the future events around the end times, all that took place from the moment of Creation (John 1) and all that will take place until the Second Coming (Revelation 22).
John the Evangelist and Theologian, the simple and little educated fisherman, is the author of the fourth Gospel, three Catholic Epistles and the Book of Revelation.
God found him worthy to become a great teacher of Theology and according to Holy Scripture and the Fathers to not taste death, that is why our Church today does not celebrate his repose, but his Metastasis [a Greek word indicating a transference from one location to another] in Heaven.
John was sensitive as a character, expressive, spontaneous, he loved his Master, he had in him Christ who is the beginning, the source of Theology, Truth and Life.
He was taught about love by being close to the Love that is the Lord, that is why he was the Evangelist of Love who preached about the love of God for people, about the love of people for God and among themselves, for a true love that must be the first and foremost feature of all Christians: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them" (John 4:16).
Our Church called him a Theologian because of the high theological messages of his works and especially for the thorough and in-depth development of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
John the Theologian was found worthy to be identified with one of the four symbolic living creatures that the Prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision, the eagle, because of the true Knowledge of God and the soaring height of his theological works.
Beloved,
In an ever-changing world, John the Evangelist, the Theologian, the Apostle, is a role model for all of us. A model preacher, theologian, student, brother, friend ... an example of love.
A love that fears and cares for nothing but to keep the commandments of God.
John the Evangelist is the one who gave his existence to Jesus and devoted himself completely to His love, which is why he became a theologian, a true Theologian and a Disciple of Love.
Do we, the modern-day disciples of Jesus, have the power of faith and the courage to confess, as John did?
Are we inspired by the flame of love that emanates from the sensitive heart of the beloved disciple?
Do we have, even a little, knowledge from the real knowledge of the Theology of the Evangelist and Theologian John?
These questions deserve to be answered clearly and honestly ... to ourselves.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.