DAILY- HOMILY

January 5, 2017 – THURSDAY, Christmas Weekday

St. John Neumann, Bishop 

White

1 Jn 3:11 – 21 / Jn 1: 43 -51

     Born in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) St. John Neumann (1811 - 1860) was ordained a priest in New York City. He was the first Redemptorist to make profession in the USA. Ordained Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852, he worked zealously to establish parochial schools and parishes for immigrants from Europe.

FROM THE 1ST READING:     1 Jn 3:11, 16

     For this is the message taught you from the beginning: we must love one another...

     This is how we have known what love is: he gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our life for our brothers and sisters.

GOSPEL READING:     Jn 1: 43-51

     The next day Jesus decided to set off for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one that Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets as well: he is Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

     Nathanael replied, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, "Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him." Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" And Jesus said to him, "Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you."

     Nathanael answered, "Master, you are the son of God! You are the King of Israel!" But Jesus replied, "You believe because I said, 'I saw you under the fig tree.' But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

REFLECTION

     Jesus recognized Nathanael as being "under the fig tree," which may have reference to Jewish teachers of the Law engaged in teaching, ordinarily under the shade of a tree. In other religions, mystics stay under trees to get inspiration.

     We would gradually discover that Jesus is the manifestation of God's revelation of his love for us, an "Epiphany.'' Our love can only grow when we follow Jesus who reveals the mystery of God's love for us. The call of the first disciples as given in the Gospel of John is a call "to come and see." The commentary given in the Christian Community Bible says, "With time, they would discover that he is the Teacher, the Messiah, the Son of God. So, too, with us. We progress in this knowledge of Jesus Christ as we go on our journey through life.... Likewise, we come to Jesus because of another person who spoke to us of him, or involved us in an apostolic work."

     Have we responded lately to someone's invitation "to come and see"?

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

THANKSGIVING 

     PHILIPPINE  BRITISH ASSSURANCE COMPANY INC.

IN MEMORIAM   (†) 

     ADELAIDA R. MENDOZA

     EMILIANA V. DELA COSTA

     EMILIANO VILLEGAS (JAN 5, 1923·JULY31, 1995)

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

Have a good day!

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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

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