In today’s Gospel Jesus invites his first disciples and invites all of us to “Come and See.” Philip finds Nathanael and tells him we found the one foretold in the Scripture (“the Law, and also the prophets”). It is: “Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” Nathanael is skeptical and replies: “Can anything good come for Nazareth?” Philip gives the simple but inviting reply, “Come and see.”
The journey of faith is a lifelong journey. Each day we are invited to discover Jesus anew, each day we are invited to “come and see” Jesus. Pope Francis invited us to come and see Jesus with these words:
“I invite all Christians…to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded…The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” (Evangelii Gaudium, #3).
When we come to Jesus and encounter Jesus, we will see even greater things as Jesus promises in today’s Gospel:
“‘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 heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”
Jesus uses the image of Jacob’s ladder from the book of Genesis:
“And Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:12).
Jesus is now this ladder providing unlimited access to God our heavenly Father. Through faith and baptism, Paul tells us, we are justified and at peace with God and God wants us to come and see him.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)
Today let us accept the Gospel invitation to come and see Jesus, to come and see God.
Image: “Jacob’s Ladder” by fdecomite is licensed under CC BY 2.0.