Sunday, 18th January 2009
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
John 1:35-42
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As John stood there with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked towards him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi’ — which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ He replied, ‘Come and see’; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ — which means the Christ- and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ — which means Rock. |
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Today Sunday is a very special Sunday. What and why is so special?
1. Because I have decided that every day that I live to be special.
2. Because I am in awe with the blessings that God my creator bestows upon me every second of my life.
3. Because He has a calling for me each time that I take conscious that Jesus the Messiah has come and I am His follower, very much like Andrew, Simon Peter and the disciples.
4. Because I am entitled to His eternal love.
Usually, my Sunday ‘reflection’ is in French, today being yet another special day I decided to have an English edition. Unlike other Sundays, where I would go to mass and be with my brethren to pray together to worship Him to show our love and respect to Him, today with my current flu and the heavy pour down that I experienced a few minutes before the clock strike ten, I decided to stay home and meet Him in his Gospel.
‘Come and see’ he said. Do I ‘come and see’ My Lord, often enough? How can I vouch that He is my saviour and yet do not see Him enough? Do I want to live my life or rather live the life that He has decided for me? My wish is to remain with Him but I am too weak and a sinner. Give me some strength my Lord.
St Augustine’s reflection on today’s gospel:
“They stayed with him that day”
«John was there with two of his disciples». John was such a «friend of the Bridegroom» (Jn 3,29) that he did not seek his own glory; he merely gave testimony to the truth. Did he dream of restraining his disciples and preventing them from following the Lord? Not at all. He himself shows them whom to follow… He declares to them: «Why cling to me? I am not the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God… Behold him who takes away the sin of the world.»
At these words, the two disciples who were with John followed Jesus. «Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him: ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’» At this point they were not definitively following him. As we know, they attached themselves to him when he called them to leave their boat…, when he said to them: «Come after me and I will make you fishers of men» (Mt 4,19). That was the moment when they attached themselves to him, nevermore to leave him. But for the moment they wanted to see where Jesus was staying and carry out those words of Scripture: «If you see a man of prudence, seek him out; let your feet wear away his doorstep! Lear from him the precepts of the Lord» (Si 6,36). So Jesus showed them where he was staying. They came and remained with him. What a happy day they spent together! What a blessed night! Who can tell us what they heard from the Lord’s mouth? But let us, too, build a dwelling in our hearts, raise up a house where Christ can come to instruct and converse with us.
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