Commemorating the Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Commemorating the Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (Oct. 9/Sept 26)

St. Apostle John the Theologian died when he reached the age of one hundred.
The circumstances surrounding this departure are rather mysterious.  He was simply called John Zebedee in Jerusalem. No one was surprised that it was he who walked in front of an unusual funeral procession with a white lily in his hand. The faces of the others, too, were not so much sad as joyful and bright, as if everyone had gathered for a holiday. And the Jerusalem Christians knew why: on the last earthly journey, or rather, to heaven, to eternal life, they escorted Mary, the Mother of Christ. And the lily in the hand of John of Zebedee was not an ordinary flower, but a message from the Garden of Eden.

According to legend, the Mother of God was walking in the garden when the Archangel Gabriel again appeared to Her and announced that the time had come for a meeting with the Son. And in confirmation that they were waiting for her in the heavenly halls, he presented a lily from the Garden of Eden. And Mary ordered that on the day of Her repose for heaven this lily be brought precisely by John of Zebedee.
John was the youngest of Christ's disciples, younger than the other eleven apostles. An exalted, pure youth, beloved disciple of Jesus. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we hardly hear the voice of young John. Other apostles asked questions, doubted something, committed rash acts, and then tried to explain them. John Zebedee was more silent, listening to the Master with adoration, but at the same time he remembered everything. And in his Gospel he told us such details that cannot be found in other testimonies of Christ. Probably, just as silently, John walked among those who escorted Christ to the place of execution at Calvary, watched as the Master was nailed to the cross and hoisted between the two robbers, as the soldiers shared His clothes - he heard every heavy sigh of Christ - but even then he did not doubt. And when Christ said, pointing with his eyes to the Virgin, probably very quietly, because any word by being nailed to the cross came from a terrible pain: Behold, Your Mother (John 19:27) - of course, John immediately understood this command. Until the last day of the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he will take care of Her as his own mother.
Toward the end of his life, John could no longer walk. The disciples holding his arms brought him to the congregation, and the apostle kept repeating: “My children, love one another!” (John 13: 34). Someone asked why he was repeating the same thing, and the apostle John said: "This is the commandment of the Lord, it contains all His teachings."
Sensing the approach of death, the apostle John, accompanied by 7 disciples, went out of town and ordered a cross-shaped grave to be dug up in size, and he, stepping aside, began to pray. When the grave was ready, he lay down in it, as if in bed, spread his arms and ordered his students to cover it with earth. The disciples first covered him to the knees with earth, then on the neck, and when he saw that the holy elder was no longer breathing, they covered his face with a scarf and, after kissing him, covered everything with earth. Ephesian Christians, having learned about such an unusual burial of the Apostle John, the next morning came and unearthed a grave. They must have wanted to bury him in a better, more honorable place. But the grave was empty! According to legend, believers found only the sandals of the Apostle John at the burial place. And of course, immediately recalled the words said by Jesus: If I want him to abide until I come, what do you care? (John 21:23). So in the Apocalypse, the apostle John wrote about himself: And he said to me: you must again prophesy about the peoples and nations, and the languages ​​and kings of many (Rev. 10: 11).
One of the interpretations of this prophecy is this: the Lord in the body took him from this world, as the once Old Testament Enoch and Elijah the prophet, and at the right time he will be returned to earth. Thus, John the Theologian left us another great secret - the secret of his death.
For many centuries, funeral services have served over the grave of the holy apostle, and it was noticed that every year on May 8, from the tomb of the apostle, a “thin dust” emanates, creating healings. This wonderful dust (or manna) is evidenced by Blessed Augustine († 430) and Gregory of Tours († 594), as well as our Russian pilgrim Abbot Daniel (XII century). In memory of this miracle, another day is commemorated for the holy apostle, along with September 26, the celebration of the repose of the apostle.

Among the many icons of the Apostle John, there is one, the ancient one, which is called "John the Theologian in silence." On it, the apostle raised a finger to his lips and seemed to say: shh, hush ... After all, the Angel, who appeared in Revelation, told him to remain silent about the most recent secrets.

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian pray to God for us!