From the Introduction to Brother Brian Dybowski’s Class Notes for the Gospel of St. John:
To love as Jesus loved, start with what Jesus taught. He taught St. John how to love God and neighbor. St. John echoes that teaching in this Gospel. So we read it, and re-read it. For every verse that we understand, there are many we do not. The verses we understood yesterday pose new questions today. Therefore we need some expert help to find answers. We need help to penetrate this ultimate gospel more profoundly. It is obviously ultimate because it was written last. It is also ultimately spiritual. To help us profit ultimately, we consult the newest published commentary in the Navarre Bible. We examine older interpretations in the Jerusalem Biblical Commentary. For applications to daily life, we consult some of Adrienne von Speyer’s meditative commentary. To comprehend what John means by love, we examine Fr. Ceslaus Spicq’s study of Agape (Love). These experts plumb the depths of John’s gospel. We join them today, and we expect to delight in this gospel tomorrow, and as long as we live. The Bible quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version.
St John the Evangelist by El Greco