Day 7: “Love one another”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Opening Prayer
Glorious Saint John the Evangelist, the disciple whom Jesus loved and guardian of Our Lady, I come before you in this novena with confidence. You who knew Jesus with a unique intimacy and who brought to the world the deepest revelation of his love, intercede for me before the Lord. May I too discover that I am “the disciple whom Jesus loves.” Amen.
Meditation
The new commandment that Jesus gave at the Last Supper, “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34), was preserved only by John. John lived it to the end of his life.
Tradition tells us that in his old age, when he could no longer preach or walk, he was carried into the assembly and always repeated the same words: “Little children, love one another.” When he was asked why he always repeated the same thing, he answered: “It is the Lord’s commandment, and if this alone is fulfilled, it is enough.”
Prayer of the Day
Saint John, apostle of love, intercede that Jesus’ new commandment may be fulfilled in my life. May I love others not with a love that suits my convenience, but with the love with which Christ loved me: to the end, without conditions, without any merit of my own. Like you in your old age, may I always repeat the same message: “Love one another.” Amen.
Our Father × 1
Hail Mary × 1
Glory Be × 1
Closing Prayer
Glorious Saint John the Evangelist, beloved disciple of Jesus and guardian of Our Lady, receive the prayers of this novena. Intercede for me before the Lord and obtain for me the graces I need. May the revelation you proclaimed, “God is love,” become the certainty that sustains my life. May I live as “the disciple whom Jesus loves.” Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
