THE WORD
Dn 7: 9–10.13–14 or Rv 12: 7–12 / Jn 1: 47–51
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Duplicity is adopting double standards that go against each other. In a drinking session, one man, after having one drink too many, admitted to his friends that the most difficult life is one of duplicity. He described it as namamangka sa dalawang ilog. The others in the session advised him to apply faithfulness – in work, in relationships, particularly in his own family. Success in life, according to one of them, is possible only with a focused vision. That focused vision motivates faithfulness. As in the corporate world, the vision of a company can be kept only when such vision is given a distinct focus each day.
Jesus called Nathanael a true Israelite because there was no duplicity in him. Nathanael always kept a focus on what God had done to Israel. His focus enabled him to be faithful to the God of Israel. Because of this, Nathanael recognized Jesus as the Son of God. For every Christian disciple, focus on the spiritual life implies a life of faith. A life of faith is one that thinks about God — in prayer, in meditation, in service, in relationships – in other words, in the entirety of life. Life becomes characterized by living the Christian faith, and Christian faith becomes the expression of one’s life.
Faith is not simply believing in God. Faith is living the God-life, which is the life of Jesus through obedience to his teachings. It is the faith that empowers a believer to “see Jesus”and to recognize him in the sacraments as well as in the signs of the times. Jesus told Nathanael: “… you will see things greater than this. Amen, amen I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” With a life of faith, Jesus will open our eyes to see and recognize him as the Son of God who lives among us.
Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace of deep faith to see you. Bestow on me a focused vision of you to purify my faith so I may see you, and seeing you, live your life. Amen.
- Fred Saniel, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
