Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 17, 2021
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.
The aspect of this reading that is most meaningful to me is that Jesus invites his new disciples to come and stay with him as they decide to follow him. They ask him where he is staying and Jesus replies. “‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.”
Wherever they stayed, it probably wasn’t glamorous. They probably slept on the floor. Maybe there wasn’t much to eat. These prospective disciples likely got a good glimpse into the life of an itinerant preacher. But the most important thing is that Jesus let them be with him. And that made all the difference.
In the stories of Jesus calling his disciples, we can see ourselves as the disciples and hear Jesus calling us to follow him. This is especially true for me in this gospel passage because my name is Peter. At the end of this reading, Jesus tells Simon, “‘you will be called Cephas’ – which is translated Peter.” Cephas is the Aramaic word for “rock,” which is “petros” in greek and commonly known as the name “Peter.” I guess I’m lucky that my parents decided to go with Peter rather than Cephas. I have always identified with Peter because he has such a human, fallible faith in the Gospels, and yet his love for Jesus is undeniable. He makes so many mistakes along the way, but he always desires to follow Christ and serve him. This inspires me to keep the faith, even when I make my own mistakes.
What Jesus offers to these new disciples, and to us, is a personal relationship in our journey of discipleship. If we walk with him on this path, he will walk with us. He will stay with us and show us the way.
Prayer
Loving God, the followers of Jesus were filled with zeal to lead others to Christ. Help us to grow in faith and love, so that all Christians might zealously proclaim the Gospel. Inspire our words and our actions so that others may see our love for you and long to know you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Anthony the Abbot is the famous father of monasticism in the Church—he took the Gospel literally and gave everything away to seek God in prayer.
Anthony was born in Egypt in 251, and when his parents died when he was about 20 years old, he assumed responsibility for the family’s 300 acres and for the care of his sister.
One day at Mass, he heard the words of Jesus proclaimed from this Gospel passage: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Mt 19:21). The passage moved him to action, and he walked out of the Church at that moment and gave away all of his property except what he and his sister needed for sustenance.
Later, he heard Jesus’ words from this passage: “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Mt 6:34). He immediately gave away the rest of their property and entrusted his sister to the care of a convent. He began a simple life on the outskirts of town, embracing only prayer, fasting, and manual labor.
When he was thirty-five, he moved even further out of town to live alone in an abandoned fort. He received rations of bread only a few times a year and spoke to people through a crack in the wall. By this time, he was becoming well-known for his faithfulness and wisdom and people sought him out for counsel and healing.
Feeling disturbed by the crowds who were seeking him out, he went deep into the desert, where he lived by a small spring of water. His life took on a rhythm of prayer and work, a pattern that continues to sustain monastic communities today. Soon, hundreds of people followed his example by going into the desert to live an ascetical life of prayer, and they began to loosely congregate into communities.
During his time in the desert, Anthony became friends with St. Paul the Hermit, whose feast day fell two days ago. The two friends are depicted in murals that face one another in the Basilica, and they are also shown receiving bread from a bird in this woodcut from the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Relics of both of them stand in the reliquary chapel.
Anthony died at the age of one hundred and five. St. Athanasius, who knew Anthony and wrote his story, said, "Anthony was not known for his writings nor for his worldly wisdom, nor for any art, but simply for his reverence toward God." He is depicted here with a book of Scripture that is aflame because God’s word sparked a fire in him to devote his whole life to God.
St. Anthony the Abbot, who sought perfection by giving away everything in order to seek treasure in heaven—pray for us!
Image credit: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), St. Anthony Visits St. Paul in the Wilderness, ca. 1503, woodcut. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Acquired with funds provided by the Humana Endowment for American Art, 1991.001.157.