⚜ ST. JOHN’S WINE A powerful sacramental called “ The Love of St. John ”
According to tradition, St. John the Apostle was once presented by his enemies with a cup of poisoned wine intended to kill him. When the Apostle made the sign of the cross over the wine, however, the cup split in half and the poisoned wine was spilled.
In memory of this, the Church has a special blessing, the “Benedictio Sancti Johannes.” On the 27th, the feast of St. John, the people bring wine along to church and before Holy Mass the priest blesses it.
At the main meal at home the wine is poured into as many glasses as there are people. Just before the meal begins, everybody stands up, holding his glass, while the father and mother begin the St. John’s Day ceremony.
The father touches the mother’s glass with his glass, looks her in the eyes and says, “I drink to you the love of St. John.” The mother answers, “I thank you for the love of St. John,” and they both take a sip.
Then the mother turns to the oldest child and repeats, “I drink to you the love of St. John,” and the child answers, “I thank you for the love of St. John.” Again they take a sip and the child turns to the next oldest, and so it goes around the table until the last one turns to the father and the family circle is closed.
Some of the blessed wine is kept for days of sickness or of great celebration. If someone in the family is about to take a journey, a few drops of the blessed wine are added to each wine glass and the whole family again drinks “the love of St. John.” Immediately after the wedding ceremony, the newly-wed couple also drinks to each other “the love of St. John.”
Taken from “Around the Year With the Trapp Family”
The wine may be drunk as above, or may be mulled and used as in this recipe:
Pour the wine into a large saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat well for 5 minutes (this can evaporate the alcohol, sadly). Serve hot, clinking glasses with the toast “Drink the love of St. John!” Doing this in front of a roaring fire makes it all the better.
⚜️ A TRADITIONAL BLESSING OF WINE for the Feast of St. John from the Roman ritual:
Graciously bless and sanctify, O Lord God, this wine and this drink with Thy right hand, and grant that by the merits of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, all who believe in Thee and partake of this wine may be blessed and protected. And as Saint John drank poison from a cup and was unharmed, so may all those who this day drink of this cup in honor of Saint John be preserved from all poisoning and other harmful things, and as they offer themselves to Thee in body and soul may they be free of all guilt. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bless, O Lord, this drink which Thou hast created, that it may be a salutary remedy for all who partake of it, and grant that all who taste of it may, by invoking Thy holy name, receive health for body and soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
And may the blessing of Almighty God, of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, come down upon this wine and any other drink, and remain forever. Amen.
Power of God 
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