Sep 29 2020 Reflection
Tuesday 29 September 2020
First Reading: DN 7:9-10, 13-14
Responsorial Psalm:
In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
PS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 4-5
Gospel Reading: JN 1:47-51
Today’s Note: Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels
Gospel Reading:
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
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 heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Reflection:
You will see greater things than this. (John 1:50)
Do you remember the first time you took a trip on an airplane? Most likely you were amazed when, as the plane took off, you saw the ground beneath you getting smaller and smaller. You watched as buildings and cars became tiny dots underneath. What a change of perspective! From up there, your thoughts might have turned to God: how minor our problems and struggles must seem in light of his greatness.
Today’s feast of the Archangels is a good time to be reminded of this bigger picture of reality. That’s what Jesus is asking Nathanael to do. Nathanael seems to believe in Jesus. But that might have been because he was impressed when Jesus said he had seen him under the fig tree. So Jesus tries to stretch Nathanael’s faith a bit. He tells him, in effect, “You haven’t seen anything yet! There’s a lot more to me than you think!”
Just as Jesus sought to open Nathanael’s eyes to who he is and to heavenly realities, so he wants to open our eyes as well. He is the Son of God. His majesty and power are beyond our comprehension. Thousands of angels are ministering to him, worshipping him day and night. And yet he is also the Son of Man, the One who has come to redeem us, to suffer for us, and to save us from sin. He uses all of this awesome power to serve us and bring us to eternal life with him.
Unfortunately, sometimes we get stuck at “ground level.” We know about Jesus in our heads, but we can forget how great he is. We might feel as if we’re the ones in control of the world around us. That’s when we need to cultivate a heavenly perspective.
Today in your prayer time, try to picture yourself before the throne of God with angels all around—including the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Imagine the radiance of God’s glory, like sunlight bouncing off white clouds. Picture the sheer beauty and overwhelming goodness of the Lord. Then lift your heart to worship him for who he is. Let this vision of God’s presence give you a new perspective.
“Lord, help me to ‘see greater things.’ I want to share your perspective.”
