Celebrating the Feast of St. John

ashleytumlinwallac
Dec 27, 2025
5 min read

The Church celebrates the Feast of Saint John the Apostle on December 27th, just two days after Christmas. As the “beloved disciple,” John holds a special place in the story of Jesus and the life of the early Church. His life and ministry were marked by extraordinary closeness to Christ, a deep understanding of His love, and a lifetime of devotion to proclaiming the Gospel.

This feast day invites us to reflect on John’s legacy of love and truth, and to celebrate it with rich Christian tradition.

Who Was St. John?

Saint John, son of Zebedee and brother of James, was a humble fisherman from Galilee. When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, calling disciples to follow Him, John and James were mending their nets with their father. At Christ’s invitation, they left everything and followed Him (Mark 1:19–20).

From then on, John became one of Jesus’ closest companions. Alongside Peter and James, he formed the inner circle of disciples and witnessed some of the most profound moments in the Gospels:

The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter: John was present when Jesus restored Jairus’ daughter to life (Mark 5:37).
The Transfiguration: On a high mountain, John saw Jesus transfigured in glory alongside Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1).
The Agony in Gethsemane: On the night of His betrayal, Jesus brought John, James, and Peter with Him to pray and keep watch in the garden (Mark 14:33).

John and James were called the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), a nickname that reflected their zeal (and fiery tempers). At one point, they even suggested calling down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that had rejected Jesus. Christ rebuked them with mercy instead (Luke 9:54–55).

In Matthew 20, Salome, their mother, asked for her sons to have special places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus asked if they could drink from his cup, and they affirmed that they could. Jesus prophesied they would drink from his cup, but the granting of positions wasn’t his decision.

John’s most significant moment of devotion came at the cross. Of all the apostles, he was the only one present at Jesus’ crucifixion. There, Jesus entrusted His mother, Mary, to John’s care, saying, “Woman, behold your son,” and to John, “Behold your mother” (John 19:26-27).

The Ministry of St. John

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, John, along with the other disciples, was taught by Jesus, watched him ascend to the Father, then waited in the upper room for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

After Christ’s Ascension, John continued to lead in the early Church. He is traditionally considered the author of the Gospel of John, the three epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. According to tradition, he traveled with Peter in Judea and later settled in Asia Minor, where he helped found the seven churches mentioned in Revelation. He was eventually exiled to the island of Patmos.

Remarkably, John is the only apostle who was not martyred, though he suffered exile and persecution for the sake of the Gospel. His life testifies not only to deep theological insight but also to a tender, abiding love for Christ. In his first letter, he wrote:

“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God.” (1 John 4:16)

Saint Jerome tells us that in his old age, whenever John was asked to preach, he would stand before the people and say simply:

“Love one another. This is the Lord’s command.”

What a powerful legacy.

Ways to Celebrate

Drink from the Saint John’s Cup. Legend has it that Saint John’s enemies presented him with a cup of poisoned wine. Before Saint John drank from the cup, he made the sign of the cross. Immediately, the cup split, the poisoned wine spilled out, and Saint John was saved.

In memory of this event, people brought their house wine to the church, and the priest blessed it. That night, the family would gather for dinner, and everyone would be given a glass of the blessed wine. The father would begin the celebration by having everyone stand with their glass of wine. He would touch his glass to his wife’s glass, look her in the eye, and say, “I drink to you the love of Saint John.” The mother would then reply, “I thank you for the love of Saint John,” and they both would take a sip of wine.

The mother would then turn to the oldest child and say, “I drink to you the love of Saint John.” The oldest child would then answer, “I thank you for the love of Saint John,” and they would both take a sip of wine. The oldest child then turned to the next oldest child, and the pattern was repeated until the youngest child faced the father, repeated the phrase, and closed the family circle.

The remaining wine would be stored away and used when a family member was sick (1 Timothy 5:23) or a time of grand celebration. Also, if a family member was about to take a trip, a few drops of the blessed wine were added to each wine glass, and the whole family would drink “the love of Saint John” again.

Immediately after the wedding ceremony, the newlywed couple also drank the love of Saint John with each other.

Celebrate the day by making your own Saint John’s Wine and having your own Saint John’s Cup Ceremony.

A Blessing For the St. John’s Wine

Light the Christ candle. Begin your devotion time with the following invitation to prayer:

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

People: Who has made heaven and earth.

Leader: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Leader: Let us pray. Lord, we pray that you would bless and consecrate this cup of wine, and every drink. We pray that all who believe in you and drink of this cup may be blessed and protected. Blessed John drank poison from the cup, and was in no way harmed. So, too, may all who this day drink from this cup in honor of Blessed John, be freed from every sickness and harm.

People: Amen.

Leader: Bless, O Lord, this wine which you have made. May it be a healthful refreshment to all who drink of it. And grant by the invocation of your holy name that whoever tastes of it may, by your generosity, receive health of both soul and body, through Christ our Lord.

People: Amen.