聖若望宗徒（聖史）
聖若望是貝特賽達人載伯德的兒子、雅各伯的弟弟。他們原是加里肋亞的漁夫，後蒙召跟隨耶穌，成為耶穌的門徒（瑪4:18- 22；谷1:16-20；路5:1-11），同稱「雷霆之子」（谷3:13-19）。聖若望可能就是耶穌所鍾愛的那位門徒；在最後晚餐時，他靠在耶穌胸膛（若13:21-30）。
基督在十字架上把自己的母親託付了給聖若望（若19:26）；在耶穌復活早上，聖若望與伯多祿一起， 跑往耶穌的墳墓（若20:1-10），並在提庇黎雅海邊，向伯多祿指出「主」的顯現（若21:1-11）。保祿稱若望、伯多祿，及雅各伯，為教會柱石（迦2:9）。
傳統上說聖若望是「若望福音」的作者；這部福音強調耶穌的天主性。他也寫了三封書信和默示錄。
相傳聖人後來往小亞細亞傳福音，雖曾受油鍋之刑，但無恙，後與聖母一起，生活於厄弗所，終老安逝。西方教會在聖誕節後，慶祝聖若望宗徒瞻禮，是以他的榜樣，代表不流血的生活見證。
集禱經
天主！你藉著聖若望宗徒，給我們揭示了你聖言的奧秘；求你幫助我們充分領悟聖若望所教導的一切。因你的聖子、我們的主耶穌基督，他和你及聖神，是唯一天主，永生永王。亞孟。
Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
Born in Bethsaida, the fisherman St. John was called to follow Christ while mending his nets; he wrote a Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation. With his brother St. James and St. Peter, St. John witnessed the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, this “beloved disciple” leaned on Our Lord’s breast, and at the foot of the Cross, Christ entrusted his own Mother to his care. St. John’s purity kept him close to Christ. He was exiled to the island of Patmos under Emperor Domitian.
Prayer
O God, who through the blessed Apostle John
have unlocked for us the secrets of your Word,
grant, we pray,
that we may grasp with proper understanding
what he has so marvelously brought to our ears.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and resigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
資料來源 References
圖：https://christianhx.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/john-the-apostle-evangelist-02.jpg
中文內容：《平日彌撒經文》，香港教區禮儀委員會
English text: Daily Roman Missal, 2011