Saint John the Apostle

Saint John the Apostle

Feast Day: 27 December

Saint John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was the only one of the twelve apostles who did not forsake the Saviour in the hour of His Passion. He stood faithfully at the cross when the Saviour made him the guardian of His Mother.Also known as the Beloved Disciple, John and his brother James “were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4: 21b-22).Saint John’s own Gospel refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and the one to whom Jesus gave the exquisite honour of caring for His mother, as John stood beneath the cross. “Woman, behold your son…. Behold, your mother” (John 19:26b, 27b). He followed Jesus, and never once looked back. Saint John is the one for whom our Lord Jesus bore a special love. Saint John’s life inspires us to be as faithful as him so that Jesus will bear a special love for us too. Our Lord immensely loves each one of us but we must aspire to have Him back the way Saint John did. So assured was Jesus of Saint John’s love that He gave him the greatest honour and the responsibility to take Mary as his mother. Saint John’s life teaches us too many things. It teaches us to faithfully follow our Lord Jesus Christ and never look back no matter what we go through. It teaches us to honour and revere Mary as our mother and defend her from the snares of the world just the way Saint John did by taking her to his home. His life teaches us to never abandon our Lord and His mother despite all the difficulties of life. 

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen

(5 AD – 34 AD)

Feast Day: 26 December

The name Stephen is Greek and chapter 6 of the Acts of the Apostles tells us that he was a Hellenist (a foreign-born Jew who spoke Greek). He lived in Jerusalem and had become a Christian.

Saint Stephen was one of the first ordained deacons of the Church.  He is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church.

He was also the first Christian martyr. Saint Stephen was so conformed to Jesus in his holy life that his martyrdom was both a natural and supernatural sign of his love for the Lord. It also inspired the early believers as they faced the first round of brutal persecution.

His behaviour, even forgiving those who were taking his life while he was being stoned to death, was a beautiful reflection of how conformed he truly was to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is recorded in Chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles (verses 54-60).

Saint Stephen is often depicted with stones, a Gospel book, a miniature church and a martyr's palm frond. He is the patron saint of altar servers, bricklayers, casket makers and deacons and his feast day is celebrated on 26 December.

Saint Stephen’s life inspires us because he spoke the truth fearlessly. He died with his eyes trustfully fixed on God and with a prayer of forgiveness on his lips. Through Saint Stephen’s example, we can learn to speak boldly for our faith, and know that our lives here on earth cannot compare with the joys we will experience in heaven.  Man can only kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul.