“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. – John 1:46

       It was an ordinary Sunday morning inside a church in Mississippi for a seven-year-old African American girl. As she left the auditorium, she was surprised that an old lady stopped her, looked at her in the eyes, gently and lovingly touched her face, and said to her, “Young lady, you’re as pretty as can be!”

    That was the first time somebody talked to her like that. Then something changed inside her. A seed of greatness took root. For the first time, she felt beautiful, valued, and loved.

         She grew up from thereon with renewed confidence, self-worth, and self-image. From being stuck in a rut of low self-esteem, from always feeling “not good enough,” she arose, grew up, and lived her calling to touch the world. Did I mention that her name is Oprah Winfrey?

       “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” My friend, what’s your Nazareth? Can anything good come from your sickness? Past mistakes? Broken family? Abusive past? Nagging failures? Yes! “Come and see” how Jesus does it! I declare that He will use someone to speak life and beauty to you today. Watch out for it! Jon Escoto (faithatworkjon@gmail.com)

Reflect: What has been your “Nazareth?” My friend, “come and see” Jesus today.

Lord, help me believe that from my “Nazareth,” You will create something beautiful and great in my life. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

God is the first to show compassion. As far back as creation, we see compassion as a major aspect of God’s love for us. He banished Adam and Eve from the Garden to ensure that they no longer eat the fruit from the tree of life and death. Having compromised their humanity to sin, God did not want them to be immortalized in this state of sin. He has forgiven us as early as the first sin of Adam and Eve and began to work for our salvation.

11 Beloved: This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, 12 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. 13 Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16 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. 17 If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? 18 Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. 19 Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him 20 in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God.

R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; 2 serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; give thanks to him; bless his name. (R) 5 The Lord is good: the Lord, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (R)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus also invites Philip and Nathanael to take a look at what the life of a disciple is about. Discipleship is a serious decision to make because we know this entails suffering. It will also make demands on us that may seem unfair. But look at Jesus – was it fair to Him to die on the cross? He chose to suffer for our sake. Let us ask ourselves: How serious am I about following Jesus? Have I thought about the consequences of being His disciple? Am I willing to follow Jesus wherever He leads me?

A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. Today a great light has come upon the earth.

43 Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” 46 But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” 48 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.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” 50 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.” 51 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.”

think: Why do you think Jesus called Philip and Nathanael in different ways?

Read the Bible in one year Luke 13-15

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________

LOVE THE LORD WITH

OUR WEAKNESSES

Yesterday, we reflected on how our questions define us, on how Jesus led the two disciples to probe their hearts deeply by asking them, “What are you looking for?” Today, a would-be disciple, Nathanael (St. Bartholomew), asks a brutally frank question about Jesus Christ: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John1:46, NIV). But instead of being put down or put to shame, Jesus even praised Nathanael with his bold question, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (John1:47, NIV). Indeed, a person is known by the questions he asks because a good question always elicits a deeper truth both on the person asking and the one being asked.

       In today’s Gospel, we find that basic truth of God’s immense love for us despite our weaknesses and shortcomings. In engaging Nathanael into a conversation, Jesus shows us that “He does not call the qualified but instead qualifies the called.” He challenged Nathanael to follow Him like Andrew and Philip did, to “come and see” wonderful things like the “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51, NIV). Nathanel’s story reminds us to love God with our weaknesses, for as St. John the Beloved beautifully tells us in the First Reading, “God is greater than our hearts and knows everything”(1 John 3:20, NIV).

       When I was a seminarian, I had this habit of feeling my heartbeat with my hand after receiving the Holy Communion. Now that I am a priest, I still maintain that deep silence after receiving the Eucharist because that is the closest moment we can have with Jesus — when He enters our body as Body and Blood. Feel Him there and speak to Him. Be your most personal, even worst self, with Jesus, but respectful of course. Then be still after your litany and listen to Him as you feel Him in your heart. When we love God with our weaknesses, that’s when we become empty of our self. That’s also when He can fill us with Himself. Fr. Nick Lalog

------- REFLECTION QUESTIONS -------

Are you still pretending to be perfect with God? What hurts you most? Find Him there.

Lord Jesus Christ, please fill my heart with Your humility, justice, and love. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________________