Catechesis Notes for the Week — Advent Meditations: St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist – This week’s Bible Stories turn to the narratives in the New Testament leading up to the birth of Christ. Gabriel Appears to Zachariah in the Temple while he is officiating as priest and announces to him that he and Elizabeth would be the parents of the forerunner of the Christ who would prepare His way. After six months, the Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary in the Annunciation of Our Lord, “announcing” that she would be the mother of the Son of God—the promised Christ, the Son of David, the Seed of Abraham, and Seed of the Woman—who would redeem us from sin, Satan, and death. In the Visitation, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is six months pregnant with John the Baptist. The Word of the Lord through the Angel Garbiel is confirmed. Mary confesses the Magnificat by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and both Elizabeth and John confess the faith with joy. The final story of the week is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. John, who would prepare the way for Jesus, is born according to the Lord’s promise. His father Zachariah, a one-time questioner of the Lord’s Word, has his heart and lips opened by the Lord to confess his faith and announced that the child’s name would be John, which means the Lord is gracious. Against this backdrop of narratives, Wednesday’s Advent meditation celebrates the Feast of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist. John, the son of Zebedee and brother of James the Elder, was one of the original Twelve called to be Apostles. In addition to his apostleship where he would bear witness to all the events of Jesus ministry, including especially his baptism, death, and resurrection, John was called to be the disciple who would take care of Mary after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He is referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” not because Jesus did not love all the disciples, but as a sign to us poor and lowly sinners who often doubt his love, that He loves us too. It is very appropriate during this season of Advent, in which we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s incarnation, that we meditate upon John’s words in the first chapter of his Gospel: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).CP221211