St. John, Apostle, Before the Latin Gate
Name: St. John, Apostle, Before the Latin Gate
Date: 6 May
In the year 95, Saint John the Evangelist, the only surviving Apostle, who was governingall the churches of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), was apprehended at Ephesus and sent in chains to Rome. The Emperor Domitian did not relent at the sight of the venerable old man, butcondemned him to be cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. The martyr doubtless heard,with great joy, this barbarous sentence; the most cruel torments seemed to him light andagreeable because he hoped they would unite him forever to his divine Master andSaviour. But God accepted his will and crowned his desire; He conferred on him thehonor and merit of martyrdom while suspending the operation of the fire, just as He hadformerly preserved the three children from injury in the Babylonian furnace. Theseething oil was changed for him into an invigorating bath, and the Saint came out morerefreshed than when he had entered the cauldron. The glorious triumph of Saint John happened just beyond the gate of Rome called theLatina. A church which ever since has borne this title was consecrated there, in memoryof the miracle. Domitian saw this miracle without deriving the least advantage from it,remaining hardened in his iniquity. Nonetheless, he contented himself afterwards withbanishing the holy Apostle to the little island of Patmos. Saint John returned to Ephesusduring the mild reign of Nerva (96-98), who during his short imperial government lastingone year and four months, merely labored to restore the faded luster of the RomanEmpire. |
