Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, is the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. It seems somewhat odd that, the day after Christmas, the Church honors the first person to die for the sake of Christ.
    
This feast reminds us that this child was born to die and that His death won the victory for us. Stephen is not only the first to be martyred but is the first Christian to enter into heaven because of the saving actions of the child whose birthday we celebrated on Christmas.

St. John is not only a disciple of Christ, and one of the Twelve, he is also one of the most important contributors to the New Testament. He is the author of the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation and three Epistles. 
    
John’s writings are more mystical than those of the other Evangelists or even St. Paul or St. Peter. They seem to grow out of the absolutely unique relationship that he had with Jesus. This unique relationship is symbolized by John leaning back against the chest of Jesus, when he asks which of the Twelve will betray Jesus, expressing the intimacy of their friendship.
    
In the Gospel of John, John never refers to himself as John. Rather he calls himself “The disciple who Jesus loved.” How odd. Is John bragging about his special connection to Jesus and mocking us because we are not the disciples who Jesus loves? Not at all.  John wants each of us to come to know ourselves as the disciple who Jesus loves. As that had become his identity, he wants it to become our own.
    
The Feast of St. John is on Dec. 27.