Homily for January 5

Homily for January 5, 2024

John 1: 42-51
Missionaries of Charity, Bronx

“Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip” (John 1:43).

St. Philip (Rubens)

We began our weekday gospels with John the Baptist and were introduced gradually to Jesus, then to his disciples.  By today, it’s all Jesus and his followers.

One thing we might notice both yesterday and today is that Jesus takes the initiative.  He invites Andrew and the other disciple to “come and see” (1:39), then so enthralls them for 2 or 3 hours that they’re convinced they’ve found the Messiah (1:41).  Scripture scholar Fr. Frank Moloney, my Salesian confrere, makes the point that it’s really the Messiah who has found them.  He repeats that point in relation to Philip’s telling Nathanael, “We’ve found the one…” (1:45).  No, it’s Jesus who’s found Philip—which was evident enuf in the 1st line this morning:  “He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me’” (1:43)

The call of Jesus to discipleship, and to our vocations, is grace.  It’s his initiative, and for that we’re grateful.

Another aspect of the gospels yesterday and today is the limited understanding of the disciples.  Whereas John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, the sin-remover, the Spirit-giver, and Son of God (1:29-34), Andrew and his friend see in Jesus a rabbi (1:38); then they progress to Messiah (1:41)—but with what understanding?  Nathanael also sees him as Messiah, specifically as king of Israel (1:49)—not the kind of Messiah that Jesus is.  Thus the disciples’ understandings are quite limited, if the rest of the gospels are an indication.  Today Philip finds in Jesus “the one Moses wrote about, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth” (1:45).  Not Son of God but son of Joseph; not from heaven but from Nazareth.  A good deal of John’s Gospel will be used to show us how wrong Philip is and to lead us to a true understanding of who Jesus is and what kind of a Messiah:  “These [signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that thru this belief you may have life in his name” (20:31).

The understanding of the disciples will increase only slowly, prodded by the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gives.  So our understanding, as well.  Only when we surrender to Jesus’ initiative, when we let him fill us with his Holy Spirit, will we “see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (1:51), and be graced with eternal life in his name.