It is God who helps us in all life’s issues and difficulties. People turn to him when they are looking for solace in pain, when a loved one is sick, when they need protection while traveling and many other problems. Many Saints also help people solve certain problems if the person's intentions are pure and noble. In this article we will tell you about the prayer to John the Theologian, with which you can turn to this saint.
Memorial Days:
- July 13 - Council of the 12 Glorious and Glorified Apostles
- May 21st
- October 9 – Rest
Troparion, voice 2*
Audio:
0:31
Apostle, beloved of Christ God, / hasten to deliver the irresponsible people, / he receives you, falling, / who fell on Persia and was received. / Pray to him, O Theologian, / and the surrounding cloud of tongues disperse the crowds, // asking us for peace and great mercy.
Translation: Apostle, beloved by Christ God, hasten to deliver defenseless people! The One who accepted you when you fell to His chest accepts your prayer. Pray to Him, O Theologian, to dispel the approaching cloud of paganism, asking for peace and great mercy for us.
Apostle John
The parents of the Evangelist John were the fisherman Zebedee and Solomia, the daughter of Joseph the Betrothed. Together with Jacob, his elder brother, he was called to be disciples by Jesus Christ himself. This happened when the Lord walked on the water of Lake Gennesaret. Leaving their father in the boat, the young men without hesitation stepped overboard and followed the Savior.
Among the apostles, John was distinguished by his virginal purity and sacrificial love. He was one of three disciples whom the Lord brought close to Himself.
At the Last Supper, the evangelist lay next to Christ and, at a sign from Peter, asked the name of the traitor. John was present at the resurrection of the savior's daughter Jairus. He was among the chosen ones who saw the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.
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When the guards seized Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and led him bound to trial by the treacherous high priests Caiaphas and Anna, John was present at the interrogations in the bishop's courtyard and followed his teacher all the way to Golgotha.
It was to the apostle John that Jesus entrusted the care of his mother. The theologian wept together with Mary at the foot of the cross and faithfully served the Virgin Mary until the end of her days.
After the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the Apostle John went to Malaysian cities to preach the Gospel and faith in Christ. He took with him a student named Prokhor. John continually preached to the pagans in the city of Ephesus. He confirmed his words with numerous miracles. The memory of them was preserved in the descriptions of Prokhor.
The pagan Emperor Nero ordered the preacher to be seized and executed for show. In those days they killed with poison. But John, having drunk a cup of potion, remained alive.
Then they decided to cook it in boiling oil. A fire was lit under the cauldron and the educator was placed in it. After a while, when the ruler decided that the execution had been completed, John left the cauldron unharmed.
Not knowing how to get rid of the apostle, Nero ordered him to be exiled to the island of Patmos. This was the only way he could hold back the flow of those wishing to convert to Christianity.
John went into exile together with Prokhor. According to the testimony of the latter, many books and revelations were dictated to the apostle by an angel. In addition to the Revelation of John the Theologian, the preacher wrote the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Epistles of John, the Gospel of John. The revelations were recorded by the disciple from the words of the evangelist, as transmitted through his faithful servant by the Lord himself.
The apostle wrote the Gospel when he was free, at the age of 85-95. He returned to Ephesus and began to fight heresies. He called on everyone to love God, since only with love can one approach the Lord.
Prayer 1*
Oh, great and all-praised apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, confidante of Christ, our warm intercessor and quick helper in troubles! Pray to the Lord God to grant us forgiveness of all our sins, even the sins we have committed since our youth throughout our lives, in our deeds, words, thoughts and all our feelings. At the exodus of our souls, help us sinners to get rid of airy ordeals and eternal torment, and through your merciful intercession we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever ki centuries. Amen.
What to pray to a saint for
What do they most often ask John the Evangelist for? Petitions are made about everything, but most often they are made on the topic of well-being in the family. They ask the saint about:
- blessed love;
- happiness in the family;
- birth of children;
- well-being in the home;
- God's mercy and wisdom for preserving the family and overcoming difficulties;
- protection from the enemy and all evil;
- blessings in learning;
- healing from illnesses.
They must be performed on the days of the saint’s celebration. In the Orthodox calendar it is:
- May 8 (21):
- June 30 (July 13) on the feast of the Council of the Holy Apostles;
- September 26 (October 9) on the feast of the repose of the Evangelist John the Theologian.
You can ask John the Evangelist for family well-being
The Catholic Church and other Western churches remember the apostle on December 27th. On these days, the festive liturgy is served and prayers are performed.
Prayer 2**
Oh, great apostle, loud-voiced evangelist, most graceful theologian, seer of the mysteries of ineffable revelations, virgin and beloved confidant of Christ John! Accept us, sinners, who come running under your strong intercession and protection. Ask the All-Bountiful Lover of Mankind, Christ our God, who, before your eyes, poured out His most precious blood for us, His worthless servants, may He not remember our iniquities, but may He have mercy on us and do with us by His mercy: may He grant us health of soul and body, all prosperity and abundance, instructing us to turn them into the glory of Him, the Creator, Savior and our God. At the end of our temporary lives, may we, holy apostle, escape the merciless torturers who await us in the airy ordeals, but may we achieve, through you, the waters and coverings of the mountain Jerusalem, whose glory you saw in revelation, and now you enjoy the joys that were promised God's chosen ones. O great John! save all Christian cities and countries and all who call on your name from famine, destruction, cowardice and flood, fire, sword, and invasion of foreigners, and internecine warfare; Deliver us from all misfortune and adversity, and with your prayers turn away the righteous wrath of God from us and ask us for His mercy. O great and incomprehensible God! Behold, we offer You Saint John in supplication, to whom You have vouchsafed unspeakable revelations; accept intercession for us, grant us the fulfillment of our petitions for Your glory, and moreover, make us spiritual with perfection to the enjoyment of endless life in Your Heavenly abodes. O Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, Omnipotent King! Touch our hearts with grace, so that, melting like wax, they will be poured out before You and mortal spiritual creation will be created in honor and glory of Yours, and Your Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Requests to Saint John the Evangelist
John the Theologian helps people solve many problems. The main prayer requests are related to the well-being of family life and the health of loved ones. The miracle of fulfilling requests is granted only to sincere believers and those who are obedient to God’s decision. Below is a list of the main issues in which John the Theologian helps the laity:
- Protection from damage and any harm;
- Help in love;
- Help for students;
- About exorcism from the body and mind.
- Heal the sick;
- Strengthen the family in difficult times;
The prayer to the Apostle John the Theologian is very effective. It is believed that John the Theologian was the most faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, and therefore the only one who personally saw the power and will of the Almighty. Therefore, the laity turn to the apostle, considering prayer to him the most powerful.
The power of prayer to the apostle is explained by a divinely righteous life. His earthly existence was filled with spirituality, kindness and kindness.
All his life he led a highly moral lifestyle and tried to interest all people in spiritual life.
John the Theologian devoted almost his entire life to serving God and people, trying to change their pagan way of life. He tried to reason with humanity, turning his gaze to the sky, to the Almighty. From this he learned the ideas of Jesus Christ, his deeds on earth in the name of all mankind.
John the Theologian is the only one of the twelve apostles of Christ who died a natural death, having lived a long, rich and spiritual life. Anticipating a meeting with the Creator, he decided to spend the rest of his days as a hermit: completely abstaining from material needs, filling every day exclusively with prayers to the Lord.
Help cases, reviews
Hieromonk Hilarion (Kachur), dean of the St. John the Theologian Cheremenets Monastery, said:
“We took the miraculous icon of John the Theologian to Pulkovo. The line was about a kilometer long. Believers came to venerate from all over the country. There were many cases of healing from serious illnesses back then: oncology, tuberculosis, and bone diseases. Through prayers to the icon, people received complete healing.”
From the testimonies of miracles performed through the prayers of John the Theologian in the St. John the Theologian Monastery in the village. Poshupovo:
«In 1994, the boy Vanya from Lukhovitsy was healed of heart disease after a long visit to the monastery and bathing in the Holy Spring.”
“In September 1995, a man received healing of an eye that he had never seen before and was covered with a bandage.”
“In March 1996, through the prayers of the apostle, after bathing in his Holy Spring, a 65-year-old woman who had long suffered from pain in her leg after a complex fracture received healing. After swimming, the pain in the leg stopped, and an x-ray showed the fusion of the fragments. She no longer needed crutches.”
“After a two-day stay in the monastery, the woman was healed of prolonged headaches.”
“In September 2006, Dmitry Tantsyrov was in the Ryazan tuberculosis dispensary with pulmonary tuberculosis in the same ward with the novice of the monastery Alexander. Having learned about the healings given through the prayers of the apostle, he went to the village of Poshchupovo. I went three times, prayed to the saint and plunged into the spring, after which all the dark spots on the lungs disappeared, which was confirmed by the doctors. After this, Dmitry was baptized.”
R.'s story B. Ivan Trofimova: “An amazing story happened to my wife Anastasia. One evening she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left side, and in the morning she began to suffer from a cough with colic. A day later, the pain intensified, the temperature rose, and she began to become delirious. The medications prescribed by the doctor helped little. Every day Nastya became worse and worse.
We were desperate. They called Nastya’s father, who was then living in the St. John the Theologian Monastery. He arrived and, thank God, brought with him water from the Holy Stream. Nastya, who had not eaten or drunk anything for several days and had been in a state of oblivion almost all the time, asked for a drink.
She took a sip and fell asleep. When I woke up, I drank some more water. And we prayed - me, our children, Nastya’s father. They asked the holy apostle and evangelist for help. And help came - the next day things started to improve. Now Nastya is healthy, and the water from the Holy Spring that healed her is now always in our house.”
R.'s story B. Ivan Kotov:
«
I don’t know why this happened, but one fine day my right hand hurt very badly. It became swollen, and after a while it completely disappeared. When I was convinced that the medications prescribed by doctors were of little help, I went with my mother to the St. John the Theologian Monastery. We approached the priest for a blessing. Having listened to me carefully and learned about my illness, he advised me and my mother to turn with faith and hope to the intercession of John the Theologian and bathe three times in water from the source located at the monastery. I said that the doctors strictly forbade me to wet my sore hand.
“It depends on what kind of water you use,” the priest answered me, “holy water cannot harm.” We stayed in the monastery for several days, asking John the Theologian for healing. On the first day after mass, I bathed in the water of the spring for the first time. After Vespers - in the second.
And the next day after Matins I bathed for the third time. During the third bath, the fingers of my sore hand began to twitch, then they began to move. Some time passed and the hand became healthy. After this, how can one not believe in the miracle of healing? Believe in the healing power of water and the holy intercession of the Apostle John.”
Prayer for the Cup (fragment), El Greco
Conclusion
The Holy Fathers call John the Theologian the Apostle of Love. Priest Valery Dukhanin , teacher at the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Academy, explains this concept as follows:
“Why is John called the Apostle of Love? Because he testified to the most important thing. That God is Love . Love that goes to the end for people. After all, true Love is not abstract sympathy. True Love is certainly expressed in something. This is always some kind of effort and manifestation of oneself in some kind of work of Love. This is exactly what John the Theologian sang, constantly saying that only a LOVING person always abides with God, and the one who has hatred in himself has not known God.
How can you talk about loving God if you have evil thoughts, bad words, and simply terrible deeds? Genuine Love is certainly expressed in pure thoughts, in merciful compassionate words, and in deeds of manifestation of Love ».
Tatyana Rasnovskaya
Two prayers read before the icon of the Apostle
