Among all the Apostles John somehow has a very special place. He is always seen as especially close to his Lord. Whether he is to be identified with the "Beloved Disciple" whom John's gospel mentions a number of times is not absolutely certain. We tend to think of him as soft and gentle but it was he, with his brother James, who wanted to bring fire and brimstone down on inhospitable Samaritans and it was they too who went behind the other Apostles' backs to ask for privileged places in Jesus' Kingdom. But it is a more mature John who writes in the First Reading today saying that he now brings the message of the Word of God, a Person they had heard, seen with their own eyes, touched with their hands - a Word who is Life. His mission now is to tell others of this experience "so that you too may be in union with us as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus".

We, too, like John and his brother have had our faults and failings. We have often misunderstood the meaning of the Gospel message. But we pray that, through the teaching of John and all the other Gospel writers, their experience may also be ours and that, like them, we will eagerly share our experience of knowing Jesus with those who have not yet had it.