Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 14, 2024
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.
“Come, and you will see.” This phrase from today’s gospel should resonate with the entire Notre Dame Family. I know it does for me because it’s how this university was first introduced to me by a teacher and mentor whose son was a first-year student on campus when I was in high school. They invited me to Notre Dame with only this explanation: “Come, and you will see.” There was no greater truth.
The minute I got to the Notre Dame campus, I was entranced by the beauty, energy, and focus and soon enough was a first-year student myself. But what came next surprised me, as for four years I experienced Christ the Teacher in a way I never had before.
Christ the Teacher was complex. He was demanding. He was loving. He was present everywhere I looked: from my classrooms to the Morrissey common room theological debates, and even peeking over the student section in Notre Dame Stadium. Christ is on his Mother’s campus. And for the first time in my Catholic experience, I saw him.
My favorite song, “The Summons,” from my days attending the Morrissey Manor Mass reinforced today’s message of a distinct calling from Christ. Through Notre Dame, Christ was calling me, so in the end, just like John, Andrew, and Peter from today’s gospel, Christ called me and I was never the same.
“Come and you will see.”
Prayer
Good and gracious God, when the apostles responded to Jesus’ invitation to come and follow him, they recognized him as the Messiah. Grant each of us the grace to follow Christ, who calls us each by name. We ask this in his holy name. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Felix had remarkable humility, which made him a great friend to the poor and a servant in all things.
Felix was born in Nola, which is near present-day Naples, Italy, in the third-century Roman Empire. His father was a Roman soldier who had retired, and when he died, Felix gave his inheritance to the poor and became a priest.
He was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola (whose feast day is tomorrow) and became his assistant. When the emperor Decius began persecuting Christians in 250, Maximus fled to the desert. Authorities arrested Felix instead and beat him. Legend tells us that an angel repeatedly freed Felix from prison so that he could care for the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola.
When Maximus died, the people called for Felix to replace him as bishop, but Felix deferred out of seniority to another man who had been ordained a week longer. Felix spent the rest of his life farming a small piece of land and giving what little he had to those who were even poorer than he.
Felix died on this date in 255 of natural causes, but because of his imprisonment and torture, he was venerated by the early Church as a martyr. His tomb in Nola became famous for the many miracles reported there, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica, as do the relics of his mentor, St. Maximus.
St. Felix, who humbly cared for the poor and who suffered for his faith, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Felix is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed November 14, 2024.