A lovely holiday - Leaving a legacy - St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

The monastery of St. John the Divine, Patmos

Early October and I was spending my 60th birthday on the warm and sunny Greek island of Patmos. It was a real treat for me as it's Greece's holy island and I'd planned to spend some time on my actual birthday visiting the monastery of St. John and the Cave of the Apocalypse. Because this is the island on which St. John, Apostle and Evangelist was exiled later in his life and on which is the cave in which he lived where, in a vision, he's said to have received a revelation of God to Jesus. The revelation was recorded at the time by his disciple Prochorus. It's that record which is the last book in the Bible.

The Cave of the Apocalypse

The monastery is approached by a steep road up the side of a hill. The cave is just below it. When my wife, Linda and I got to the cave there was nobody else there. We found it a smallish space in the side of the hill and when we went in, we were both struck by the 'strength' and depth of the silence. It wasn't at all an eerie or weird silence. If there is a holy silence, this was it. It was a silence that made you fearful of speaking and spoiling it. It had such an impact on Linda that she became quite tearful. It was an awe-full silence. Memorable for all the best reasons.

Eight years and a few weeks later and I'm standing in church on Christmas day listening to what's known as the Prologue to the gospel also attributed to St. John, the gospel reading for the day from chapter 1 - 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' I was particularly struck by that last sentence - 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'

St. John and Prochorus

The Word and the light being spoken of here is Jesus and his message. And when we look at the history of the last 2000 years and at the world today, it is true that the darkness of those millenia and the darkness of the present world hasn't overcome Jesus and his message. Despite humankind's continuous and continuing attempts to quash and destroy the message through suppression and persecutions and executions, two days ago millions the world over were standing in church celebrating the message together with others out in the world living it. And it's all because the likes of St. John openly received then lived and talked the message in his day and age and left a legacy and example in his life and writings that others could take up and follow.

Today, 27th December is the feast day of St. John the Divine, Apostle and Evangelist. It's maybe a pity that it's in Christmas week where after the festivities of Christmas Day and Boxing Day his day goes by often quite unnoticed. Unlike St. Stephen who we remembered yesterday, St. John died naturally in extreme old age in Ephesus where he was buried in the year 97AD.