Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1, 45-51
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
You will see greater things
1.‘We have found Him.’ Philip, with his missionary attitude, goes out, finds Jesus, and announces to others who He is. Philip takes the first step, and doesn’t waste a minute. He goes out because he has found Jesus, who has really called his attention. He has found what we all seek: Jesus. If you have found inner peace in Jesus please go out and announce Him face to face, because there are many ‘Nathanaels’ out there who need to find the joy and peace that only Jesus can bring. But don’t take a loudspeaker and go out – no. Go out and announce Jesus face to face, go out and come together with people, and have frank personal dialogue with each person. Evangelization today doesn’t take place in mass announcements, but rather person to person, phone call to phone call. Yes, it’s fine to organize gatherings or workshops. Still, the effect of coming together personally, face to face with a person, sharing a cup of tea or coffee and talking about God – even without mentioning His name – helps tremendously.
2.He knows you. Jesus knows everything about you. He knows everything and you cannot deceive him. He knows your falls, your miseries, your sore points, your bumps and bruises, and your temptations. He knows about all the times you have fallen. But today God is showing you a different challenge, a path that involves working for his kingdom. God has chosen you just as you are, with your good points, your errors, and even your weaknesses. He loves you so much that he has chosen you just as you are, because He knows that with all you are you can work on evangelization and you can bring Jesus to many people.
3.“You will see greater things.” I assure you that if you enter the field of evangelization and your mission is one-on-one, you will see and live beautiful things. A really moving situation that once happened to me comes to my mind. I once went to celebrate a mass up in the “Tucuman” hills (Tucuman is a province in the north of Argentina). I had ridden on horseback for several hours when a woman came up to me saying she wanted to kiss my hands because they were Christ’s hands, she said. I didn’t want to allow that and kept on saying “No.” The lady told me off and said, “Look Father, I’m not kissing you, but the Lord who is in you,” that was something amazing for me. People don’t seek me because I’m Luis; they look for Jesus who is in Luis. A suggestion for you today: why don’t you think of something beautiful that has caught your attention or that has happened to you since you’ve been involved in God’s things? Perhaps something that happened when you were a catechist, or when you helped a child, or simply something beautiful in your daily life. Think, remember… How nice it is to know that God is there!
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And always remember that Heaven is our goal.
