Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1, 35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.
Finding who we were looking for
1) Looking to Jesus: Where is your gaze directed today? What is your attention focused on? What is it that you are so worried about today? I believe that John set his gaze on Jesus to see the direction of his own life. On this path of life, let’s look to Jesus, to the heavenly and the divine; otherwise, life becomes very hard. We all know that not everything in life is simple and straightforward. There is a daily struggle that often leads to the recognition of losses and defeats, but if you set your eyes on Jesus, everything falls into place.
2) The following: When you go out to look for Jesus, you feel challenged: you ask yourself if you really deserve to follow him. Let me confirm that you do deserve to follow Him. It is Jesus who has chosen you and called you, because He does not look at your troubles and meanness, but at your heart and what you can contribute to the life of many others. When you follow Jesus, there will be moments and situations that will always be memorable, like this detail was for the apostles: “It was about four in the afternoon”. Do you remember when you met Jesus and what he brought to you, or beautiful situations that have marked your life?
3) We have found Him: When you have an encounter with Christ, you are not selfish, you go out to proclaim Him. This raises the question of whether you’re truly going out to share you spiritual life and your relationship with God, or whether you simply fall into an institutional rigidity seeking ecclesiastical positions or power; using Christ as a tool for your ego. The person who has truly found Jesus shares their happiness and leads others to meet Him too. Let’s show that Christ is with us, and that something good is on the way.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
