Lectionary: 208
Reading 1
1 John 3:11-21
Beloved:
This is the message you have heard from the beginning:
we should love one another,
unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil One
and slaughtered his brother.
Why did he slaughter him?
Because his own works were evil,
and those of his brother righteous.
Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
The LORD is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
Reflection 1
One Bread, One Body
“AIN’T NOBODY...”
“I solemnly assure you, you shall see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” —John 1:51
There’s an old spiritual song entitled “Ain’t Nobody Can Do Me Like Jesus.” This means that Jesus alone knows, changes, and satisfies the human heart (Jn 2:25). Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35). He is our most basic Need, and He satisfies all our other needs. When we have Jesus, we have everything worth having and, when we have everything but Jesus, we have nothing. We may be among “the living dead” (1 Jn 3:14), but Jesus knows how to touch, fill, and fulfill even the most hardened heart.
If our only hope is Jesus, we’ll find He’s the only Hope we need. However, if we’ve gained the whole world, but not surrendered our lives to Him (Lk 9:25), we’ll realize that our lives are empty without Him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6). His name is the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). He is “our only Master and Lord” (Jude 4). He is God.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for becoming a man and letting us know You.
Promise: “The way we came to understand love was that He laid down His life for us; we too must lay down our lives for our brothers. I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” —1 Jn 3:16-17
Praise: St. John Neumann introduced Forty Hours devotions to America from Europe.
Reflection 2
By Fr. Rafel FELIPE i Freije
(Girona, Spain)
“Come and see”
Today, Philip teaches us an important lesson when he asks Nathaniel to go with him to meet the Master, because, like all true friends, he wants to share the treasure he has discovered: “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth” (Jn 1:45). He is impatient to share the riches of Jesus with others, so that the treasure that comes to all that know Jesus Christ, also can bless them. No one is able to fill a man's heart with the happiness and peace that is ours when Jesus dwells within. When we experience His love, peace, and blessing in our lives, we are eager to share Him. This restless urge to share what we have with others is the origin of the calling of a Christian Apostle. At some point in our lives, Jesus bids us to cast our nets wide. When He does, He is telling each one of us that we must become fishers of people, for the people of the world are in great need of God, and our common hunger for spiritual fulfillment, truth, and happiness can only be satisfied by Jesus Christ. “Only Jesus Christ means everything for us… Happy is the man who waits for Him!” (Saint Ambrose).
We cannot give what we do not have. So, before we can tell others about the Master, we must already have encountered Him and come to know Him. Only when we know Him well and have allowed Him to enter into and direct our lives, can we share Him with others, as Philip did, and as His disciples have done throughout history.
This involves knowing Jesus as the Lord of our lives, knowing Him as a friend, conversing with Him, and accepting Him so completely that we can declare: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (Jn 1:49). We must receive Him in the Eucharist, share our gratitude and our desires with Him in daily prayer, and listen intently to His declarations of forgiveness. All this will help us to know Him well enough to be able to speak of Him with others to their understanding, so that they too can discover that intimate joy of encountering our Lord, experience religious satisfaction, and come to love Him even as we love Him.
Reflection 3
By by Angela Maynard
Creighton University - Retired
Today’s first reading talks of love. St. John reminds us that we came to know love when Jesus laid down his life for us, therefore we ought to lay down our lives for others. This is a heavy lift followed by another challenge: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” We can believe in the importance of love and speak of love, but it can be difficult to show love—particularly to one who has caused pain.
This is where the gospels come in. The gospels truly serve as a guide for how to love. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus invites Philip to “Follow me.” Philip shared this invitation with Nathanael who also follows and finds that Jesus knows him. Jesus promises him that as their relationship deepens, he will see greater things.
Jesus, as God, created us and when he calls us, he knows exactly who is calling and why. It takes faith and patience for us to understand how God works.
I have seen this ‘personalized call’ in action through my life personally and professionally. I have had the opportunity to counsel young people particularly when they realize that their l. path might look a bit different than they envisioned. I distinctly recall an interaction I had with an undergraduate student who aspired to be a physician. Despite doing everything right, they were not accepted into medical school on their first application. They were really hurting. You see this student really prepared to have a stellar application—successfully dealt with academic rigor, volunteered, shadowed physicians, and is really an outstanding human dedicated to caring for others. Besides a big hug and a safe place to be emotional, I reminded them that this did not mean that they would not become a physician, but the path might look a bit different. Fast forward, this person is now a physician and can attest that the path looked different but acknowledges gratitude for the experiences that were encountered on the detour. God knew that this person’s gifts were needed elsewhere for a bit. So, this was a personal calling. As I mentioned, I have learned this personally too. I firmly believe that God calls us to be where we are supposed to be at the right time. Our faith and the word of God will guide us along the path.
Today is the feast day of St. John Neumann. His words remind us of our purpose: “Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated, and ignorant, young, and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing. We are not born at random.”
Prayers
Lord, today I contemplate your first encounters with your Apostles. You called them and they responded. Like them, I want to encounter you today and respond to your call.
Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened the way to heaven for each one of us. As you personally revealed yourself to your beloved patriarchs and apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may recognize your presence with me and know the power of your kingdom at work in my life. May I always find joy and peace in your presence and never lose sight of your everlasting kingdom.
Lord, I cry out with joy to you. I want to serve you joyfully. What is it that you ask of me? How can I serve you today? You made me and I am yours. I am a member of your flock and look forward to the day I can enter the gates of heaven to praise you for all eternity. You are good; you are faithful. Help me to be good today and respond to you with fidelity.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 5: Redemption of the World
The Incarnation was the greatest act of Mercy ever known. The only subsequent act that surpassed it was the act of Jesus dying on the Cross destroying sin and death by His blood. The redemption of the world, through the blood of the Cross, is an act of love and Mercy that we will never fully comprehend. We could never be grateful enough for this act since we will never fully fathom the depth of this love.
Spend time throughout this day pondering the crucifix. Hold it in your hand, look at it, imagine it and meditate on it. And then try and close your eyes from time to time pondering the full reality of the Crucifixion. This was not an easy sacrifice. It was especially difficult to receive such brutality and to say, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” This is Divine Mercy.
Lord, help me to gaze deeply upon Your Cross and to discover, within that Cross, an ocean of pure Mercy. Wash me in this sacrificial love and help me to obtain eternal redemption. Jesus, I trust in You.
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