If you had to describe Jesus to a person who had never heard of him, how would you do it? On one level this might seem like a very difficult task, but on another level, it is really quite simple. Christianity is spread by telling Jesus' story. The beautiful thing about someone who has never heard about Jesus is that they have not been inoculated against Christianity and they don't carry with them all the bias and prejudice that surrounds Jesus and Christianity in our society today. The person who has never heard about Jesus would be absolutely fascinated with his story, because even if it were just a story, it would be amazing.

John the Apostle told the world Jesus’ story with his Gospel. He was tremendously close to Jesus and spent three years at his side. He had the courage to stand at the foot of the cross—the only man among a group of brave women. And he is referred to six times in the Gospel as the disciple Jesus loved.

Would you like to have a special relationship with Jesus, like John did? The hardest part of getting to know Jesus seems to be getting out of the way, pushing aside our ego and expectations, and letting it unfold rather than trying to force it. Come to think of it, that seems to be the hardest part of life and relationships in general.

How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? For the saints everything was about him. They placed Jesus at the center of their lives by placing him at the center of everything they did. They discovered the-best-version-of-themselves in and through Jesus.

Think about all the gods people have worshiped throughout the ages, in different places and cultures and times. One of the astounding things that makes the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition different is that he wants to be your friend. The saints recognized this. They didn't care if people noticed or remembered what they did. They didn't care about their reputation at all. They cared about their relationship with Jesus, and from that flowed all the goodness and genius they shared with the world.

The saints were God's friends on this earth. And now it's your turn.



Feast Day: December 27 

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Fabiola

Patron Saint of: Love, Loyalty, Friendships, Authors, Booksellers, Burn-Victims, Poison-Victims, Art-Dealers, Editors, Publishers, Writers, Scribes, Examinations, Scholars, and Theologians

Also Known As: Saint John the Beloved, Saint John the Evangelist

Symbols: An Eagle