Author: admin

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Gospel: John 1: 45-51

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 heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure many of us could count on one hand the number of arguments we’ve won with words. 

Maybe none. (Just ask your spouse or a friend!)

These days, there’s often an unwritten rule in social circles: do not speak about politics, religion, vaccines, etc., unless everyone present already agrees.

What changes a person’s perspective is not persuasive language, but personal experience.

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In today’s Gospel, Philip tells his friend, Nathanael, that he’s found Jesus, the one whom all of the prophets have foretold.

Nathanael doesn’t believe him. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” he says skeptically, as if he’s picking a fight.

Instead of arguing with him, Philip simply says, “Come and see.”

Nathanael needs that personal experience with Jesus before he can change his mind and, ultimately, come to believe.

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I’m sure we all know someone like Nathanael, who’s lacking in faith.

Lofty arguments are unlikely to persuade them; the best thing we can do is simply invite them to, “Come and see.” (After all, it’s written into our parish vision statement!)

Like Philip, we invite people to visit the Lord, but leave the rest up to Jesus, who has the power to transform human hearts.

Come and see!

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Image credits: (1) Keen for God (2) Life-Giving Water (3) Christian Faith

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Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32

Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m sure many of us remember the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.

One of the main characters, Gaston, seemed to have everything a person could want – good looks, lots of money, a great singing voice, and plenty of human praise.

All the girls in town thought he was dreamy… Except Belle, the one girl he wanted. 

Belle saw right through Gaston’s appearance. Although he was attractive on the outside, he was ugly within. He was self-centered and arrogant.

And so, she was unimpressed.

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Jesus says something similar about the scribes and the Pharisees. 

Like Gaston, they wear nice garments, they’re smart, many of them are rich, and they love to be recognized. 

But Jesus sees through their appearance. Though attractive on the outside, they’re corrupt within, much like “whitewashed tombs.”

“All of their works are performed to be seen,” he says. They’re not really interested in God.

They’re only out to feed their ego.

If nice religious garments, knowledge of the Law, and public acts of penance don’t impress Jesus, then what will?

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“The greatest among you must be your servant,” he says. 

That person is beautiful and praiseworthy in God’s eyes: the humble; the lowly; the kind; the generous. 

So, in what ways can we be servants of others today?

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Image credits: (1) AZ Quotes, Martin Luther King, Jr. (2) Gaston LeGume, Beauty and the Beast (3) Cultural Hall

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Luke 1: 26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When God enters a person’s life, it takes dramatic turns, which we often don’t see coming. 

Consider the life of Mary. From the second she said “yes” to the Holy Spirit, all of the plans she envisioned for her life changed. 

She became an expectant mother. Christ started growing slowly, silently in her womb.

Then her marriage with Joseph was nearly called off. And it would’ve been had he not also said “yes” to the Holy Spirit.

After an angel appears to Joseph, encouraging him to take Mary and her child into his home, he accepts a turn in his own life which he never saw coming – foster fatherhood.

Within a year, the three of them – Mary, Joseph, and Jesus – experience another dramatic turn: the flight into Egypt. King Herod’s bloodthirsty campaign to kill Jesus forces them to flee their home, taking refuge in a foreign land.

Twelve years later, God continues stretching the minds and hearts of Mary and Joseph as Jesus disappears in the Temple for three days. And when they find him, all Jesus has to say is, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Twenty years later, Mary is found standing at the foot of the Cross – a turn no parent ever wants to take.

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But today we celebrate the final two, splendid turns in Mary’s life. Her assumption into heaven, and by extension her title as “Queen of Heaven.”

Looking back to her days as a young teenage virgin, Mary never could’ve imagined such a title – or glorious reality. But there she sits, enthroned in heaven, interceding on behalf of the Church.

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She reminds us that when God enters our lives, dramatic and unexpected turns take place. Some of them we’d shriek from – like standing at the foot of the Cross; other’s we’d be humbled by, like welcoming the Lord into our heart.

But all of them somehow lead us along winding roads, which end in the same place: the kingdom of God.

May the Blessed Mother intercede on our behalf, that whenever we encounter a bend in the road, we may open our hearts and say “yes” to Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Modern Age Spirituality (2) Fish Eaters, The Queenship of Mary (3) Santa Maria FourSquare Church