Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to 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.
Rock
1. The lamb. In the Jewish tradition the lamb represented the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, a lamb was brought to the Jewish priest to be sacrificed on the altar so that sins could be forgiven. We Catholics don’t bring lambs to the Church because on the Cross, in that great sacrifice, Christ forgave our sins. That’s why today the Church once again points out to you who the Lamb is, so that you may follow Him and remember that He came to forgive and to love, that He didn’t come to judge.
2. The question. I believe that the question that marks our existence is, “what are you looking for?” Today Jesus asks you that same question. What are you looking for in your life and for your life? You can’t go on begging, waiting for someone to love you. Are you looking for happiness and peace? Where is your life going? Take a pause and try to answer those questions. Go back to find that path that will lead you to happiness. The moment you find what gives meaning to your life and what you are looking for, will always be memorable, like this detail was for the apostles: “It was about four in the afternoon”. Consider today what you are looking for in order to know what you will find.
3. Rock. Jesus meets Cephas. It is an encounter that will mark Peter’s life forever. He allows Jesus to turn his life around. Today God also wants to change you, to transform you into a rock, so that you can act firmly before Him and so that you can be a rock for others to lean on, to build upon and to trust. The Church needs rocks to build, not to puncture tires or to become stumbling blocks. Today ask yourself, ‘what kind of rock do you want to be?’
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
