Reflection for Wednesday Before Epiphany 

By

Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Director, Social Action Movement, Don Bosco Bidar

Today's WORD of GOD 

John 1: 35 - 42

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.  When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” 

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” 

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. 

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” 


Meditation on the Word of God 

What are We Looking for?

The Vocational Stories in the first Chapter of John’s Gospel Combine a Surface Simplicity with Challenging Depth. They may be Compared & Contrasted to the Call of the Fishermen by the Lake-Shore, but They bring out Extra Dimensions in the Call to Follow JESUS. On the One Side We See the Influence of Others, in this case, John the Baptist, Pointing towards JESUS, Inviting Us to See & Admire what HE has to Offer. On the Other Side, Our Own Desires & Questions Come into It too. 

JESUS Invites Them to Express Their Deepest Hopes & Aspirations in a Deep Question: “What are U Looking for?” There is No Religious Vocation Without that Inner Quest which Demands Satisfaction.

“What are U Looking for?” 

Their first Reply is Superficial, Not Really Naming what They Expected from HIM. “Rabbi, Where are U Staying?” Well, It’s a Start; They Want to Relate to HIM in Some Way; to Follow Up on Their first Encounter with HIM. Then Comes HIS Invitation, which Calls Them into a Meeting that will last Not just an Hour but a Whole Lifetime: “Come, & U will See.” Here We See that Wonderful Way in which the 4th Evangelist Manages to Combine a Definite, Concrete Episode or Meeting (“Come to My house this Afternoon, & We can Talk.”) with an Open-Ended Challenge to a Constant Religious Experience (“Come & Be with Me, & U will See what Life can Mean.”) St John Achieves a Similar Effect in Each of the Later Stories in His Gospel. What happened once, in the Encounter of Some Individuals with JESUS, Continues to Happen for HIS Disciples in Every Subsequent Time & Place.

Following on from the Work of John the Baptist, We See how the Early Christians Drew One Another to CHRIST. In Simon’s Case It was His brother Andrew who Excitedly Tells Him “We have Found the Messiah!” This was the Occasion, in John’s Account, when JESUS Called Simon “Cephas” or Peter. Not Quite the Same as in Matthew’s Gospel (16: 16ff), but just as Valid a Way of Telling Us that It is through JESUS that We Find Our Full, GOD-Given Vocation.

Good morning

Have a blessed day