He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” – John 1:39

It’s a world unlike anything you’ve seen on earth. No matter how well your friends describe it or books chronicle it with pictures in full color, they never come close enough. And when you see stickers that say, “I’d rather be diving,” you really won’t get what all the hoopla is about.

Unless you’ve been under the sea. There where you can hear yourself breathe like Darth Vader. Where animals and plants are colored unlike anything you’ve seen on land. Where you will continually be in awe of the beauty that God took so much pains to create only to submerge it in water, away from plain view. 

No, no description ever comes close. You

have to personally experience diving yourself to understand what I mean.

Maybe that’s why Jesus invited His disciples to “come and see” His home for themselves. Because it wasn’t so much His address that was important. It was the experience of Himself that He wanted them to have.

Have you seen Jesus for yourself? Don’t be satisfied with second-hand testimonies of what He’s done to others. Come and see for yourself. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng

REFLECTION:

“Make no conditions, let Jesus be everything, and He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but forever.” (Oswald

Chambers)

Lord, I come to You today. I want to experience You.

1 John 3:7-10

Generally speaking, it is easy to know the difference between what is right and wrong. Sometimes, though, we do have doubts. I wonder why, then, do we find ourselves so often in a state of sin rather than in a state of grace? It seems that we often choose the wrong course of action.

7 Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. 10 In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

P S A L M

Psalm 98:1, 3cd-4, 5-6

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 3 All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R) 5 Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD. (R)

G O S P E L

John 1:35-42

Knowing what you are committing yourself to before you do it is an important principle in life. We see today some of the future apostles of Jesus spending time being with Jesus as they discern to follow Him as their Rabbi or Master. Each of us makes a similar decision as regards our faith walk and the only real way to get to know Him is through prayer, the Scriptures and reading about others who followed Him in the past.

35 John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched  Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” 37 The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” which is translated Christ. 42 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.

my reflections

think:  The only real way to get to know Jesus is through prayer, the Scriptures and reading about others who followed Him in the past.

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God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR  John 10-12

It always makes me sad when somebody turns away from the Church. here are so many complaints about the Church. Some  feel there are too many restrictions and commandments, too many “don’ts” that kill freedom and joy. The more permissive our society becomes and the more relativism spreads, the more a wrong notion of freedom pervades, and people turn away from the Church.

Last year, Pope Benedict XVI said in an interview, “Christianity, Catholicism is not a collection of prohibitions — it’s a positive option... We have heard so much about what is not allowed that now it’s time to say: We have a positive option to offer…”

These words of the Pope are illustrated by today’s gospel. Jesus did not force anybody to follow Him. He asked the two young men the most fundamental question, “What are you looking for?” He asks us the same question today. It’s a good question, we will never know where to go and what to do if we don’t know what we are looking for.

A bit later, Jesus invites Andrew and his friend, “Come and see.” There is no force, no arm-twisting; there are no great promises of an easy life. There is only a kind invitation. What they have seen must have impressed them. For Andrew cannot but run to his brother Simon to invite him to meet Jesus, too.

Jesus invites us to come and see. As long as we do so without any bias and prejudice, we would come to the conclusion that Jesus offers positive options. We are invited to share these options with others.

Be glad t h a t you received Jesus’ invitation to be a part of His community. Be glad that you accepted the invitation. Be glad that a wonderful future lies ahead of you in the company of Jesus. Fr. Rudy Horst

Reflection Question:

Do I see my Church in a positive light? Am I ready to defend the Church and present Her positive options to those who criticize Her?

Lord, thank You for these insights. They will help me when I am carried away by the negative attitude of people around me who only see Your Church as a dictatorial institution of the past. No, Lord, Your Church is alive, and I will help Your Church remain alive by being positively involved in Her activities and by defending and spreading Her positive options.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, holy woman, pray for us.