Word to the Wise
Friday, January 5, 2018 - Jan. 5
[1 John 3:11-21 and 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." [John]
JANUARY 5 ST. JOHN NEUMANN, cssr
Religious enthusiasm can be contagious or it can be off-putting. Nathanael displays considerable skepticism when told that the fullfillment of the law and the prophets is a guy from a little village called Nazareth. He was certainly not the only one to doubt! But Philip's enthusiasm wins the day. It was better than sitting under a fig tree all day. Philip's last words to Nathanael are an echo of Jesus' words to Andrew and his companion in yesterday's gospel scripture: "Come and see!"
In the Gospel According to John, the task of the disciple is to bring others to faith. "Come and see!" At the Last Supper, Jesus prays not only for the little band of disciples in front of him, but also for all those who will come to believe because of their witness. [John 17:20] We are "sent" just as Jesus was sent, and our task is to bear fruit that will 'remain.' [John 15:1-8] Our own consistent and profound faith is like the branch on the vine. Can we say to someone either directly by word or by example, "Come and see?" AMEN