Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1, 43-51
Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip.
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.
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 child of Israel.
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.”
Come and see
1) Go to Galilee: How important it is to return to your Galilee; to your roots. Take a look at your family and your childhood. Maybe you won’t have to make a physical or geographical trip but rather an affective trip; a trip down memory lane. It implies going back to have a look at your past but from a spiritual point of view, to see what your family was like and what it meant to you. To pay attention to your loves, your mistakes, your first decisions. How important it is that you see your life as a whole. I know it can be difficult, but it’s all part of your history and it tells you what you are today. Go back to your Galilee.
2) Philip: In Philip we see the figure of so many good people who help us in our faith, and who want the best for us. You should be like Philip: a person who always tries to share good things and help people who can’t find their way in life. Be the person who can show others that it is possible to change the way we look at our life and that many great things can be achieved if we try! Be a Philip! Be optimistic and share this confidence with those around you.
3) Nathanael: We all have an element of Nathanael in us. Prejudice and distrust stem from the unknown. But if you are always distrustful of others it can lead you to miss out on many beautiful things in life. We must learn that life is not all about mistrust and prejudice. Life also involves faith and not only in people, but first and foremost in God. Learn to do away with your prejudice against God and trust in Him. I assure you that if you do, you will understand many things that have happened to you in life and others that will happen to you.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget that something good is on the way!
