20180824
NATHANIEL THE EVERYDAY MAN WHO YEARNS FOR THE
CHRIST
24 AUGUST, 2018, Friday, St Bartholomew,
Apostle
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Apocalypse 21:9-14 ©
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He showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out
of heaven
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The angel came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will
show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’ In the spirit, he took me to the
top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming
down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered
like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a
great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an
angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of
Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the
south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve
foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 144(145):10-13a,17-18 ©
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Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious
splendour of your reign.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious
splendour of your reign.
They make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour
of your reign.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious
splendour of your reign.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn1:49
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Rabbi, you are the Son of God,
you are the King of Israel.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 1:45-51 ©
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You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man
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Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one
Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is
Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can
anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip. When Jesus
saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the
name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before
Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael
answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus
replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree.
You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most
solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels
of God ascending and descending.’
NATHANIEL THE EVERYDAY MAN WHO YEARNS FOR THE CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ REV 21:9-14; PS 145:10-13, 17-18; JN 1:45-51 ]
Many people
think that the world is not interested in finding God. Regardless of who we are,
deep in our hearts, we are seeking for the eternal, something that is
satisfying. Indeed, we are like Nathaniel whom Jesus saw sitting under the fig
tree. The significance of one who sits under the fig tree represents
someone in contemplation seeking God. Jesus was perceptive of the deepest
desire of Nathaniel. So when He remarked, “Before Philip came to call
you, I saw you under the fig tree”, Nathaniel immediately lighted up because
there was someone who at last could understand his yearning to find the
Christ. And there are many like him who are searching for God either
explicitly or implicitly in their lives. Unfortunately, they have not
found Him. What could be the obstacles?
Firstly, it
is because of pride and skepticism. When “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have
found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets
wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said
Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?'” In the eyes of
Nathaniel, Nazareth was an insignificant village compared to where he came
from, Cana. Nowhere in scriptures was it said that the Messiah would come
from Nazareth. Some of us, because of our education, our ego and intellectual
pride, are prevented from listening with humility to those who have encountered
God. Instead, we seek to destroy all propositions and suggestions about
God using philosophy and logic. Indeed, there are many of us who are so
swollen with pride that we unconsciously make ourselves the absolute in judging
all matters.
Secondly, we
fear being ridiculed, discriminated or disadvantaged. Quite often, because
of our status in society, we fear that others might belittle us and think we
are so silly and superstitious to believe in God if they knew we are
Catholic. Finally, it could be for fear of losing our privileges.
Often, when we are associated with a particular religion, we are discriminated
by society. We might suffer not just loss of reputation but in terms of
career prospects and financial gains. In a nutshell, it does not pay to
be a believer in Christ.
What, then,
is the best way to bring someone to Jesus? Faith is not so much an
intellectual discussion but a personal testimony of a personal encounter with
the Lord. It is very difficult to argue and convince anyone into faith
in Christ. St Paul, himself a great theologian and philosopher, did not
proclaim the gospel in terms of philosophy but in the power of the Spirit. “For
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with
eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word
of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1:17f)
Rather it was through the personal testimony of his encounter with the power of
the Risen Lord in Christ crucified that changed his entire life. Thus, he
wrote, “When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the
testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know
nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:1f)
Hence, we can
appreciate the response of Philip when Nathaniel was cynical about his
discovery of the Messiah. His response was simply this, “Come and
see.” Philip did not try to argue or reason with Nathaniel.
Instead, he invited him to come and see Jesus for himself and form his own
judgment. It is not possible to judge Jesus from hearsay or just from
intellectual reasoning. No amount of reasoning can lead a person to faith
and trust. This is true in any personal relationship. We seek someone
to be our friends not because of any intellectual reasoning but because we
experienced the person’s kindness, sincerity and compassion. We feel that
we could relate with that person based on personal encounter.
But this
invitation to come and see the Lord themselves would not be taken up unless the
witnesses themselves are testimonies to the power of the Risen Lord. If the apostles were
believed by the world, it was because they were totally transformed.
Otherwise how could we explain how the apostles who were then uneducated and
fearful of their enemies, cowards who fled at the arrest of our Lord, could in
a short time stand up against the Sanhedrin and their opponents to make the
claim that Jesus is Lord. St John Chrysostom said, “Did they perhaps say
to themselves: “What is this? He could not save himself but he will protect us?
He did not help himself when he was alive, but now that he is dead he will
extend a helping hand to us? In his lifetime he brought no nation under his
banner, but by uttering his name we will win over the whole world?” Would it
not be wholly irrational even to think such thoughts, much less to act upon
them? It is evident, then, that if they had not seen him risen and
had proof of his power, they would not have risked so much.” (A homily on the
first letter to the Corinthians)
Truly the
best witness is a transformed life in Christ. People will believe what we say only
when they see that Christ has made a difference in our lives. Being a
witness of Christ is simply to share with others what Jesus has done for us in
our lives, how we have found hope and strength in Him; and what Jesus means to
us personally and in our daily life. Being an evangelist is much less
about being an apologetic than being a disciple of charity and love. Apologetics
will not get us very far. There is nothing like a living testimony of a
life lived in imitation of Christ. This is the refrain of the psalmist,
“Your friends, O Lord, make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious
splendour of your reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts
from age to age.” The approach of “Come and see” is the most effective
way to bring people to the Lord. This was what the Lord also said to
Nathaniel, “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree.
You will see greater things than that. I tell you most solemnly, you will see
heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and
descending.”
Like the
apostles in the first reading, we are called to be the light of Christ in the
world.
We read that the Twelve apostles all had “the radiant glory of God and
glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.” In
other words, called to be the light of the world, they now shine in heaven so
brightly. We are called to be the bride of Christ, to be the stones for
the New Temple of Jerusalem by living a life of Christ. The prerequisite
remains whether we have encountered the Lord personally. When Andrew met
the Lord, he brought his brother, Simon Peter to the Lord. When Philip
met the Lord, he brought Nathaniel to Christ. When we discover something
wonderful, we cannot keep to ourselves. A missionary is born whenever the
Lord enters into a person’s life and touches his heart.
What is
required on the side of those who are searching for Christ is sincerity. This was the case for
Nathaniel. He was honest with himself. This was what the Lord
said of him, “There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of
deceit.” In other words, he was the true Israelite, who lived a righteous
life. He lived an honest life and he was truthful about wanting to find
the Christ. He did not live a pretentious life. He wanted to be
true to what and whom he believed in.
Unfortunately,
we do not have many, including baptized Catholics, who are truly searching for
Christ. Their
thirst for Christ is often superficial and lacking passion. The Lord said
to the Israelites in exile, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me
with all your heart.” (Jer 29:13) We too can find the Lord if we are as sincere
as Nathaniel in yearning for Him. Religion becomes just another aspect of
a person’s life because of culture, routine practices, customs but not a
personal conviction or a personal encounter. Although Catholic, many of
us are not sincere in our faith. We take our faith more as a backup and
Christ as an appendix in our lives, not the center of our lives. Unless
Jesus takes center stage in our lives, we will not build our lives on
Him. Let us take courage and come to the Lord so that we can see Him and
find life in Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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