January 4, 2019
What do you seek?
Dear friends in Christ, the whole purpose of our lives is to know, serve, love God in this world and so live with him eternally in heaven. How is that possible, if one is unable to find God during the course of earthly life? The best thing one can achieve in life is to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. To believe in him and to follow him closely by a life that is pleasing to God.
In the first reading of today (1John 3:7-10) the evangelist tells us that, “The reason the Son of God appeared, is to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus came to destroy sin, the root cause of death. By so doing, all those who believe in him, might have a new life, even when they suffer the death which is common to all creatures. He told his disciples, “He who believes in me, even though he dies shall live; and whoever lives and believes in me, shall never die.” He is the way, the truth and the life. Those who have been redeemed in Christ are therefore expected to live their lives in righteousness. John says, “By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.”
In the gospel of today (John 1:35-42) John gives a generous witness to Jesus. In the passage we read yesterday, he already introduced Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The evangelist tells us, that the following day again, while John was with two of his disciples, he saw Jesus passing and he once more said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” These two disciples left their master and followed Jesus. The passage says that, Jesus turned around and ask them, “What do you seek?” They asked him for his abode and he invited them, “Come and see.” After being in the company of Jesus for a day, these two former disciples of John, were now very convinced, Andrew told Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” He then brought him to Jesus who gave him a new name and would eventually become the head of the Church. Have you found the Messiah? Are you convinced about your faith or are you still wondering what to belief? I am very convinced of the one I am following—not just because of what I have read and what I have been taught; my personal experience of him like these two former disciples of John, is my reason. Like these two disciples, you need to make up your mind today to follow Jesus, not for a day or week, but all through life.
Let us pray: O God, we rejoice in the coming of your beloved Son in a flesh like ours. Lift us in him to the glory of your adopted children. Amen. May the Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.