St. John the Evangelist

Have you ever heard this little rhyme?

“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,heard good news and passed it on!Look and listen, listen and see—the Good News is for you and me!”

These four men—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—wrote the Gospels, which tell us all about Jesus’s life!

Saint John the Evangelist was one of Jesus’s twelve apostles. He was also one of Jesus’s closest friends. John loved Jesus very much and never left Him—even when Jesus was on the Cross.

John was the son of Zebedee and had a brother named James. They were both fishermen, and they were friends with Peter and Andrew. Before meeting Jesus, John followed John the Baptist, who was getting people ready for the coming of the Messiah—that means the Savior, Jesus!

One day, John the Baptist saw Jesus walking by and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God!”

John and his friend Andrew followed Jesus and spent the whole day with Him. From that moment, John’s heart belonged to Jesus forever!

John walked with Jesus, listened to His teachings, saw His miracles, and loved Him deeply. At the Last Supper, John sat close to Jesus. That’s why he is called the “beloved disciple.”

When Jesus was dying on the Cross, John was there with Mary, Jesus’s Mother. Jesus looked at them and said that Mary would now be John’s mother, and John would take care of her. From that day on, John took care of Mary as if she were his own mother.

After Jesus rose from the dead, John was one of the first to run to the empty tomb. Later, when he and Peter were fishing, John was the first to recognize Jesus on the shore and said,

“It is the Lord!”

John spent the rest of his life teaching people about Jesus and writing about His love. He wrote one of the four Gospels, three letters, and the book of Revelation in the Bible.

Even when he was very old, John never stopped talking about love. When he couldn’t walk or preach anymore, people would carry him to the church, and he would say,

“Little children, love one another.”

Saint John the Evangelist teaches us that to follow Jesus means to love one another—just as Jesus loves us!

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us!