Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Thursday 4 January 2018
"So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”John 1,35
Jesus is not wasting His time ! After His public appearance with Saint John the Baptist , straight away He invites two young men to His home . I like to imagine in my mind’s eye the small home in Nazareth , where Jesus introduces the future apostles John and Andrew to His mother Mary , and asks the Blessed Virgin to prepare them a nice dinner , while they drink a glass of wine . What a wonderful conversation must have taken place there by the flickering light ?! Jesus is not selling a pig in a poke , quite certainly He tells them frankly His intention : “ I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10, 10
Jesus quite certainly invites His first friends too, into this worldwide mission: come lets go to every village , town and teach people the commandment of love , lets explain it to them that it is much better to live in peace, love like good brethren then cheating, lying, stealing, to sully ourselves and the world with all sorts of foul , hideous sins! In the mean time the nice dinner is ready and the New Testament has been “signed” , God and man sat at the same table , and with a hopeful heart the world’s redemption gets on the way! What a wonderful evening it must have been , that changed so much the two young men’s life !
I never had the desire to be in the company of great historical figures , but if given the opportunity I would jump to it, that I also very humbly could sit at Mary’s table ! How wonderful it would be to drink a toast with Jesus and the two future apostles , listen to the Master’s first speech then with a good appetite to taste the dinner prepared by Mary, Jesus’ mother !
It is quite certain that Jesus would not push me away , would not say stop eavesdropping , but would encourage me to post our conversation on Facebook so that people could join in , to spread the good news: God loves us and believes that we are capable of learning , to live together as good brethren lovingly , to solve our problems with patient , wise dialogue !
It is so simple , clear, everything is obvious , even just thinking about it here in this unpretentious small house in Nazareth , and in vain does 2000 year separate us from the dinner, in the breaking dawn I definitely know my duty ! Following the words of Jesus I get going in 2018 to many-many villages , towns just like the apostles did earlier, to proclaim the only commandment that is capable of making our world a better place :"30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12, 30-31
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Picture : Saint Francis was capable to tame even the wolf.
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
John 1, 35-42
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Thursday 4 January 2018