Son of Thunder, you requested that Jesus
Revengefully rain down ferocious flames,
You wanted to get back at those fools from
Samaria who wouldn’t welcome Him;
But your fisherman’s soul was softened
By the Savior, as Love taught you to love,
You were transformed by the Transfiguration,
And you soon became the Apostle of Light.
During the Last Supper, you leaned on Love,
And, alarmed, asked Him about the traitor,
Then, later, you saw the wondrous wounds
Of Love wash away the world’s guilt;
He gave you His Most Blessed Mother,
And you cared for her with holy compassion,
You, the Beloved Disciple, bravely and
Courageously taught us obedience.
You were the miraculous martyr who
Survived a bubbling, boiling cauldron of oil,
Then the Roman Emperor Domitian
Egregiously exiled you to the isle of Patmos;
Hideous heresies denied Christ’s divinity,
So you wrote a glorious gospel to refute them,
You were the mild mystic, the peaceful preacher,
And the unforgettable Apostle of Love.