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From: 1 John 3:7-10

A Child of God Does Not Sin

[7] Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he
is righteous. [8] He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from
the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of
the devil. [9] No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him,
and he cannot sin because he is born of God. [10] By this it may be seen who
are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not
do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

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Commentary:

6-9. This passage acts as a preface to v. 10, where the Apostle spells out the
criteria for distinguishing the children of God from the children of the devil — the
practice of Christian virtues and the keeping of the commandments of God, es-
pecially that of brotherly love.

To understand correctly what St John is saying here, it is useful to remember his
controversy with the false teachers (the Gnostics): these were trying to deceive
the faithful (v. 7) and claimed to have a special knowledge of God (gnosis),which
put them above good and evil, so that what the Church regarded as sin they saw
as morally indifferent and as incapable of undermining the union with God they
claimed they had.

To identify these heretics, the Apostle has recourse to words of our Lord: “the
tree is known by its fruit” (Mt 12:33). Thus, the genuine Christian is recognized
by deeds of righteousness (v. 7), that is, by keeping the commandments of God
and leading a holy life. And the qualities essential to the Christian life are incom-
patible with sin; these qualities are—divine filiation (”he is born of God”: v. 9), inti-
mate union with Christ (”who abides in him”: v. 6), and sanctifying grace, toge-
ther with the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (this seems to be
what the expression “God’s nature abides in him” means: v. 9). Thus it is under-
standable that “No one who abides in him (Christ) sins” (v. 6).

In fact, as long as “God’s nature abides in him...he cannot sin” (v. 9). Clearly St
John does not mean that a Christian is incapable of sinning; at the start of the
letter he said, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1:8). What he
wants to make quite clear is that no one can justify his own sin by the device of
claiming to be a child of God: the righteousness of the children of God reflects
itself in their actions, whereas “he who commits sin is of the devil” (v. 8), for sin
cuts one off from God and means one has submitted to the slavery of the devil.

The ancient heresy has grown up again, in a way, in our own time: there are
those who claim that union with God is not broken by transgression of com-
mandments, even in grave matter, provided one does not withdraw one’s “fun-
damental option” for God. Against this error, the Magisterium of the Church re-
minds us that “care must be taken not to reduce mortal sin to an act of ‘funda-
mental option’ — as is commonly said today — against God, intending thereby
an explicit and formal contempt for God or neighbor. For mortal sin exists also
when a person knowingly and willingly, for whatever reason chooses something
gravely disordered. In fact, such a choice already includes contempt for the di-
vine law, a rejection of God’s love for humanity and the whole of creation: the
person turns away from God and loses charity” (”Reconciliatio et Paenitentia”,
17).

10. “Children of the devil”: this is a common Semitic way of speaking, meaning
“the devil’s supporters”. In St John’s writings we find references to “children of
the devil” (cf. Jn 8:44; Acts 13:10) and to people who are “of the devil” (v. 8),
and Judas is even called a “devil” (Jn 6:70); but he never uses an expression like
“born of the devil”. Therefore, the expressions “children of the devil” and “children
of God” cannot be put on the same plane.

Also, “children of God” refers here primarily to the moral dimension of Christian
life, as a description (the opposite of “the children of the devil”) of those whose
actions show they are on God’s side. However, being children of God has a radi-
cally different meaning from being children of the devil, because it derives from
something transcendental—God’s causing the Christian to partake of his own di-
vine nature through the life of grace (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2 and notes on same).

The criteria for distinguishing the two groups mentioned are: the practice of righ-
teousness, that is, striving for holiness and fighting against sin, reviewed in the
previous section (vv. 3-9), and the practice of brotherly love, as we shall see in
the next section (vv. 11-24).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: John 1:35-42

The Calling of 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, 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 do you seek?” And they said to Him,
“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” [39] He said to them,
“Come and see.” 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 him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. [41] He first
found his 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, “So
you are Simon, the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Pe-
ter).

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

35-39. Through these words of the Baptist, these two disciples are moved by
grace to approach the Lord. John’s testimony is an example of the special gra-
ces God distributes to attract people to Himself. Sometimes He addresses a
person directly by stirring his soul and inviting him to follow Him; at other times,
as in the present case, He chooses to use someone close to us who knows us,
to bring us to meet Christ.

The two disciples already had a keen desire to see the Messiah; John’s words
move them to try to become friends of our Lord: it is not merely natural curiosity
but Christ’s personality which attracts them. They want to get to know Him, to
be taught by Him and to enjoy His company. “Come and see” (John 1:39; cf. 11:
34)—a tender invitation to begin that intimate friendship they were seeking. Time
and personal contact with Christ will be needed to make them more secure in
their vocation. The Apostle St John, one of the protagonists in this scene, notes
the exact time it took place: “it was about the tenth hour”, roughly four in the
afternoon.

Christian faith can never be just a matter of intellectual curiosity; it affects one’s
whole life: a person cannot understand it unless he really lives it; therefore, our
Lord does not at this point tell them in detail about His way of life; He invites
them to spend the day with Him. St Thomas Aquinas comments on this pas-
sage saying that our Lord speaks in a lofty, mystical way because what God is
(in Himself or in grace) can only be understood through experience: words can-
not describe it. We grow in this understanding by doing good works (they im-
mediately accepted Christ’s invitation and as a reward “they saw”), by recollec-
tion and by applying our mind to the contemplation of divine things, by desiring
to taste the sweetness of God, by assiduous prayer. Our Lord invited everyone
to do all this when He said, “Come and see”, and the disciples discovered it all
when, in obedience to our Lord, “they went” and were able to learn by personal
experience, whereas they could not understand the words alone (cf. “Commen-
tary on St John, in loc”.).

40-41. The Evangelist now gives us the name of one of the two disciples involved
in the previous scene; he will mention Andrew again in connection with the multi-
lication of the loaves (John 6:8) and the last Passover (John 12:22).

We cannot be absolutely sure who the second disciple was; but since the very
earliest centuries of the Christian era he has always been taken to be the Evan-
gelist himself. The vividness of the account, the detail of giving the exact time,
and even John’s tendency to remain anonymous (John 19:16; 20:2; 21:7,20)
seem to confirm this.

“St John the Apostle, who pours into his narrative so much that is first-hand,
tells of his first unforgettable conversations with Christ. `”Master, where are you
staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They went and saw where He was
staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.’

“This divine and human dialogue completely changed the life of John and Andrew
and Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their hearts to listen to
the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them beside the Sea of Galilee” (St.
J. Escriva, “Christ is Passing By”, 108).

Those hours spent with our Lord soon produce the first results of apostolate. An-
drew, unable to contain his joy, tells Simon Peter the news that he has found
the Messiah, and brings him to Him. Now, as then, there is a pressing need to
bring others to know the Lord.

“Open your own hearts to Jesus and tell Him your story. I don’t want to genera-
lize. But one day perhaps an ordinary Christian, just like you, opened your eyes
to horizons both deep and new, yet as old as the Gospel. He suggested to you
the prospect of following Christ earnestly, seriously, of becoming an apostle of
apostles. Perhaps you lost your balance then and didn’t recover it. Your com-
placency wasn’t quite replaced by true peace until you freely said ‘yes’ to God,
because you wanted to, which is the most supernatural of reasons. And in its
wake came a strong, constant joy, which disappears only when you abandon
Him” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 1).

42. What was it like when Jesus looked at someone? From what He says here,
He seems both imperious and tender. On other occasions His glance is enough
to invite a person to leave everything and follow Him, as in the case of Matthew
(Matthew 9:9); or He seems to be full of love, as in His meeting with the rich
young man (Mark 10:21), or He seems angry or sad, because of the Pharisees’
unbelief (Mark 2:5), or compassionate, towards the widow of Nain (Luke 7:13).
He is able to move Zacchaeus’ heart to conversion (Luke 19:5); and He Himself
is moved by the faith and generosity of the poor widow who gave in alms every-
thing she had (Mark 12:41-44). His penetrating look seems to lay the soul bare
to God and provoke one to self-examination and contrition — as happened to the
adulterous woman (John 8:10) and to Peter who, after denying Christ (Luke 22:
61) wept bitterly (Mark 14:72).

“You shall be called Cephas”: naming something is the same as taking posses-
sion of the thing named (cf. Genesis 17:5; 22:28; 32:28; Isaiah 62:2). Thus, for
example, Adam when he was made lord of creation, gave names to creating
things (Genesis 2:20). “Cephas” is the Greek transcription of an Aramaic word
meaning stone, rock: therefore, St. John, writing in Greek, has to explain the
meaning of the word Jesus used. Cephas was not a proper name, but our Lord
put it on Peter to indicate his role as His vicar, which He will later on reveal (Mat-
thew 16:16-18): Simon was destined to be the stone, the rock, of the Church.

The first Christians regarded this new name as so significant that they used it
without translating it (cf. Galatians 2:9, 11, 14); later its translation “Peter” (Pe-
tros, Petrus) became current, pushing the Apostle’s old name — Simon — into
the background. “Son of John”: ancient manuscripts include variants, such as
“son of Jona”.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading	1 John 3:7-10 ©

No-one sins who has been begotten by God

My children, do not let anyone lead you astray:

to live a holy life

is to be holy just as he is holy;

to lead a sinful life is to belong to the devil,

since the devil was a sinner from the beginning.

It was to undo all that the devil has done

that the Son of God appeared.

No one who has been begotten by God sins;

because God’s seed remains inside him,

he cannot sin when he has been begotten by God.

In this way we distinguish the children of God

from the children of the devil:

anybody not living a holy life

and not loving his brother

is no child of God’s.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 97(98):1,7-9 ©

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Let the sea and all within it, thunder;

the world, and all its peoples.

Let the rivers clap their hands

and the hills ring out their joy

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

at the presence of the Lord: for he comes,

he comes to rule the earth.

He will rule the world with justice

and the peoples with fairness.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn1:14,12

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

To all who received him he gave power to become children of God.

Alleluia!

Or:	Heb1:1-2

Alleluia, alleluia!

At various times in the past

and in various different ways,

God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;

but in our own time, the last days,

he has spoken to us through his Son.

Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia!

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, worship the Lord,

for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

Alleluia!

Gospel	John 1:35-42 ©

'We have found the Messiah'

As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.

One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 1
35.	The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples.	Altera die iterum stabat Joannes, et ex discipulis ejus duo.	τη επαυριον παλιν ειστηκει ο ιωαννης και εκ των μαθητων αυτου δυο
36.	And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.	Et respiciens Jesum ambulantem, dicit : Ecce agnus Dei.	και εμβλεψας τω ιησου περιπατουντι λεγει ιδε ο αμνος του θεου
37.	And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.	Et audierunt eum duo discipuli loquentem, et secuti sunt Jesum.	και ηκουσαν αυτου οι δυο μαθηται λαλουντος και ηκολουθησαν τω ιησου
38.	And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?	Conversus autem Jesus, et videns eos sequentes se, dicit eis : Quid quæritis ? Qui dixerunt ei : Rabbi (quod dicitur interpretatum Magister), ubi habitas ?	στραφεις δε ο ιησους και θεασαμενος αυτους ακολουθουντας λεγει αυτοις τι ζητειτε οι δε ειπον αυτω ραββι ο λεγεται ερμηνευομενον διδασκαλε που μενεις
39.	He saith to them: Come and see. They came, and saw where he abode, and they stayed with him that day: now it was about the tenth hour.	Dicit eis : Venite et videte. Venerunt, et viderunt ubi maneret, et apud eum manserunt die illo : hora autem erat quasi decima.	λεγει αυτοις ερχεσθε και ιδετε ηλθον και ειδον που μενει και παρ αυτω εμειναν την ημεραν εκεινην ωρα ην ως δεκατη
40.	And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him.	Erat autem Andreas, frater Simonis Petri, unus ex duobus qui audierant a Joanne, et secuti fuerant eum.	ην ανδρεας ο αδελφος σιμωνος πετρου εις εκ των δυο των ακουσαντων παρα ιωαννου και ακολουθησαντων αυτω
41.	He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.	Invenit hic primum fratrem suum Simonem, et dicit ei : Invenimus Messiam (quod est interpretatum Christus).	ευρισκει ουτος πρωτος τον αδελφον τον ιδιον σιμωνα και λεγει αυτω ευρηκαμεν τον μεσιαν ο εστιν μεθερμηνευομενον χριστος
42.	And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.	Et adduxit eum ad Jesum. Intuitus autem eum Jesus, dixit : Tu es Simon, filius Jona ; tu vocaberis Cephas, quod interpretatur Petrus.	και ηγαγεν αυτον προς τον ιησουν εμβλεψας [δε] αυτω ο ιησους ειπεν συ ει σιμων ο υιος ιωνα συ κληθηση κηφας ο ερμηνευεται πετρος

35. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God!

CHRYS. Many not having attended to John's words at first, he rouses them a second time: Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples.

BEDE; John stood, because he had ascended that citadel of all excellences, from which no temptations could cast him down: his disciples stood with him, as stout-hearted followers of their master.

CHRYS. But wherefore went he not all about, preaching in every place of Judea; instead of standing near the river, waiting for His coming, that he might point Him out? Because he wished this to be done by the works of Christ Himself. And observe how much greater an effort was produced; He struck a small spark, and suddenly it rose into a flame. Again, if John had gone about and preached, it would have seemed like human partiality, and great suspicion would have been excited.

Now the Prophets and Apostles all preached Christ absent; the former before His appearance in the flesh, the latter after His assumption. But He was to be pointed out by the eye, not by the voice only; and therefore it follows: And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God!

THEOPHYL. Looking he said, as if signifying by his looks his love and admiration for Christ.

AUG. John was the friend of the Bridegroom; he sought not his own glory, but bore witness to the truth. And therefore he wished not his disciples to remain with him, to the hindrance of their duty to follow the Lord; but rather showed them whom they should follow, saying, Behold the Lamb of God.

CHRYS. He makes not a long discourse, having only one object before him, to bring them and join them to Christ; knowing that they would not any further need his witness. John does not however speak to his disciples alone, but publicly in the presence of all. And so, undertaking to follow Christ, through this instruction common to all, they remained thenceforth firm, following Christ for their own advantage, not as an act of favor to their master. John does not exhort: he simply gazes in admiration on Christ, pointing out the gift He came to bestow, the cleansing from sin: and the mode in which this would be accomplished: both of which the word Lamb testifies to. Lamb has the article affixed to it, as a sign of preeminence.

AUG. For He alone and singly is the Lamb without spot, without sin; not because His spots are wiped off; but because He never had a spot. He alone is the Lamb of God, for by His blood alone can men be redeemed. This is the Lamb whom the wolves fear; even the slain Lamb, by whom the lion was slain.

BEDE. The Lamb therefore he calls Him; for that He was about to give us freely His fleece, that we might make of it a wedding garment; i.e. would leave us an example of life, by which we should be warmed into love.

ALCUIN. John stands in a mystical sense, the Law having ceased, and Jesus comes, bringing the grace of the Gospel, to which that same Law bears testimony. Jesus walks, to collect disciples.

BEDE. The walking of Jesus has a reference to the economy of the Incarnation, by means of which He has condescended to come to us, and give us a pattern of life.

37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What seek you? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwell you?
39. He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

ALCUIN. John having borne witness that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the disciples who had been hitherto with him, in obedience to his command, followed Jesus: And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

CHRYS. Observe; when he said, He that comes after me is made before me, and, Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose, he gained over none; but when he made mention of the economy, and gave his discourse a humbler turn, saying, Behold the Lamb of God, then his disciples followed Christ. For many persons are less influenced by the thoughts of God's greatness and majesty, than when they hear of His being man's Helper and Friend; or any thing pertaining to the salvation of men. Observe too, when John says, Behold the Lamb of God, Christ says nothing.

The Bridegroom stands by in silence; others introduce Him, and deliver the Bride into His hands; He receives her, and so treats her that she no longer remembers those who gave her in marriage. Thus Christ came to unite to Himself the Church; He said nothing Himself; but John, the friend of the Bridegroom, came forth, and put the Bride's right hand in His; i.e. by his preaching delivered into His hands men's souls, whom receiving He so disposed of, that they returned no more to John. And observe farther; As at a marriage the maiden goes not to meet the bridegroom, (even though it be a king's son who weds a humble handmaid,) but he hastens to her; so is it here. For human nature ascended not into heaven, but the Son of God came down to human nature, and took her to His Father's house.

Again; There were disciples of John who not only did not follow Christ, but were even enviously disposed toward Him; but the better part heard, and followed; not from contempt of their former master, but by his persuasion; because he promised them that Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost. And see with what modesty their zeal was accompanied. They did not straightway go and interrogate Jesus on great and necessary doctrines, nor in public, but sought private converse with Him; for we are told that Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What seek you? Hence we learn, that when we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us opportunities enough of improvement. Christ asks the question, not because He needed to be told, but in order to encourage familiarity and confidence, and show that He thought them worthy of His instructions.

THEOPHYL. Observe then, that it was upon those who followed Him, that our Lord turned His face and looked upon them. Unless you by your good works follow Him, you shall never be permitted to see His face, or enter into His dwelling.

ALCUIN. The disciples followed behind His back, in order to see Him, and did not see His face. So He turns round, and, as it were, lowers His majesty, that they might be enabled to behold His face.

ORIGEN. Perhaps it is not without a reason, that after six testimonies John ceases to bear witness, and Jesus asks seventhly, What seek you?

CHRYS. And besides following Him, their questions showed their love for Christ; They said to Him, Rabbi, (which is, being interpreted, Master,) where dwell You? They call Him, Master, before they have learnt any thing from Him; thus encouraging themselves in their resolution to become disciples, and to show the reason why they followed.

ORIGEN. An avowal, befitting persons who came from hearing John's testimony. They put themselves under Christ's teaching, and express their desire to see the dwelling of the Son of God.

ALCUIN. They do not wish to be under His teaching for a time only, but inquire where He abides; wishing an immediate initiation in the secrets of His word, and afterwards meaning often to visit Him, and obtain fuller instruction. And, in a mystical sense too, they wish to know in whom Christ dwells, that profiting by their example they may themselves become fit to be His dwelling. Or, their seeing Jesus walking, and straightway inquiring where He resides, is an intimation to us, that we should, remembering His Incarnation, earnestly entreat Him to show us our eternal habitation. The request being so good a one, Christ promises a free and full disclosure. He said to them, Come and see: that is to say, My dwelling is not to be understood by words, but by works; come, therefore, by believing and working, and then see by understanding.

ORIGEN. Or perhaps come, is an invitation to action; see, to contemplation.

CHRYS. Christ does not describe His house and situation, but brings them after Him, showing that he had already accepted them as His own. He says not, It is not the time now, tomorrow you shall hear if you wish to learn; but addresses them familiarly, as friends who had lived with him a long time. But how is it that He said in another place, The Son of man has no where to lay His head? when here He says, Come and see where I live? His not having where to lay His head, could only have meant that He had no dwelling of His own, not that He did not live in a house at all: for the next words are, They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day. Why they stayed the Evangelist does not say: it being obviously for the sake of His teaching.

AUG. What a blessed day and night was that! Let us too build up in our hearts within, and make Him an house, whither He may come and teach us.

THEOPHYL. And it was about the tenth hour. The Evangelist mentions the time of day purposely, as a hint both to teachers and learners, not to let time interfere with their work.

CHRYS. It showed a strong desire to hear Him, since even at sunset they did not turn from Him. To sensual persons the time after meals is unsuitable for any grave employment, their bodies being overloaded with food. But John, whose disciples these were, was not such a one. His evening was a more abstemious one than our mornings.

AUG. The number here signifies the law, which was composed of ten commandments. The time had come when the law was to be fulfilled by love, the Jews, who acted from fear, having been unable to fulfill it, and therefore was it at the tenth hour that our Lord heard Himself called, Rabbi; none but the giver of the law is the teacher of the law.

CHRYS. One of the two which heard John speak and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Why is the other name left out? Some say, because this Evangelist himself was that other. Others, that it was a disciple of no eminence, and that there was no use in telling his name any more than those of the seventy-two, which are omitted.

ALCUIN. Or it would seem that the two disciples who followed Jesus were Andrew and Philip.

41. He first finds his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, You are Simon the son of Jonas: you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

CHRYS. Andrew kept not our Lord's words to himself; but ran in haste to his brother, to report the good tidings: He first finds his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

BEDE. This is truly to find the Lord; viz. to have fervent love for Him, together with a care for our brother's salvation.

CHRYS. The Evangelist does not mention what Christ said to those who followed Him; but we may infer it from what follows. Andrew declares in few words what he had learnt, discloses the power of that Master Who had persuaded them, and his own previous longings after Him. For this exclamation, We have found, expresses a longing for His coming, turned to exultation, now that He was really come.

AUG. Messias in Hebrew, Christus in Greek, Unctus in Latin. Chrism is unction, and He had a special unction, which from Him extended to all Christians, as appears in the Psalm, God, even Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows. All holy persons are partakers with Him; but He is specially the Holy of Holies, specially anointed.

CHRYS. And therefore he said not Messias, but the Messias. Mark the obedience of Peter from the very first; he went immediately without delay, as appears from the next words: And he brought him to Jesus. Nor let us blame him as too yielding, because he did not ask many questions, before he received the word. It is reasonable to suppose that his brother had told him all, and sufficiently fully; but the Evangelists often make omissions for the sake of brevity. But, besides this, it is not absolutely said that he did believe, but only, He took him to Jesus; i.e. to learn from the mouth of Jesus Himself, what Andrew had reported. Our Lord begins now Himself to reveal the things of His Divinity, and to exhibit them gradually by prophecy. For prophecies are no less persuasive than miracles; inasmuch as they are preeminently God's work, and are beyond the power of devils to imitate, while miracles may be fantasy or appearance: the foretelling future events with certainty is an attribute of the incorruptible nature alone: And when Jesus beheld him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonas; you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

BEDE. He beheld him not with His natural eye only, but by the insight of His Godhead discerned from eternity the simplicity and greatness of his soul, for which he was to be elevated above the whole Church. In the word Peter, we must not look for any additional meaning, as though it were of Hebrew or Syriac derivation; for the Greek and Latin word Peter, has the same meaning as Cephas; being in both languages derived from petra. He is called Peter on account of the firmness of his faith, in cleaving to that Rock, of which the Apostle speaks, And that Rock was Christ; which secures those who trust in it from the snares of the enemy, and dispenses streams of spiritual gifts.

AUG. There was nothing very great in our Lord saying whose son he was, for our Lord knew the names of all His saints, having predestinated them before the foundation of the world. But it was a great thing for our Lord to change his name from Simon to Peter. Peter is from petra, rock, which rock is the Church: so that the name of Peter represents the Church. And who is safe, unless he build upon a rock? Our Lord here rouses our attention: for had he been called Peter before, we should not have seen the mystery of the Rock, and should have thought that he was called so by chance, and not providentially. God therefore made him to be called by another name before, that the change of that name might give vividness to the mystery.

CHRYS. He changed the name too to show that He was the same who done so before in the Old Testament; who had called Abram Abraham, Sarai Sarah, Jacob Israel. Many He had named from their birth, as Isaac and Samson; others again after being named by their parents, as were Peter, and the sons of Zebedee. Those whose virtue was to be eminent from the first, have names given them from the first; those who were to be exalted afterwards, are named afterwards.

AUG. The account A here of the two disciples on the Jordan, who follow Christ (before he had gone into Galilee) in obedience to John's testimony; viz. of Andrew bringing his brother Simon to Jesus, who gave him, on this occasion, the name of Peter; disagrees considerably with the account of the other Evangelists, viz. that our Lord found these two, Simon and Andrew, fishing in Galilee, and then bid them follow Him: unless we understand that they did not regularly join our Lord when they saw Him on the Jordan; but only discovered who He was, and full of wonder, then returned to their occupations. Nor must we think that Peter first received his name on the occasion mentioned in Matthew, when our Lord says, You are Peter, and upon this rock will I build My Church; but rather when our Lord says, You shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

ALCUIN; Or perhaps He does not actually give him the name now, but only fixes beforehand what He afterwards gave him when He said, You are Peter, and upon this rock will I build My Church. And while about to change his name, Christ wishes to show that even that which his parents had given him, was not without a meaning. For Simon signifies obedience, Joanna grace, Jona a dove: as if the meaning was; You are an obedient son of grace, or of the dove, i.e. the Holy Spirit; for you have received of the Holy Spirit the humility, to desire, at Andrew's call, to see Me. The elder disdained not to follow the younger; for where there is meritorious faith, there is no order of seniority.

Catena Aurea John 1

Calling of Peter and Andrew

Duccio di Buoninsegna

1308-11
Tempera on wood, 43,5 x 46 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

January 4 -Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Story

Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution, born August 28, 1774, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian, teaching his daughter to love and serve others.

The early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen, she faced each new “holocaust,” as she put it, with hopeful cheerfulness.

At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30, Elizabeth was widowed, penniless, with five small children to support.

While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805.

To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning, her group followed the lines of a religious community, which was officially founded in 1809.

The thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Reflection

Elizabeth Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote to a friend, Julia Scott, that she would prefer to exchange the world for a “cave or a desert.” “But God has given me a great deal to do, and I have always and hope always to prefer his will to every wish of my own.” Her brand of sanctity is open to everyone if we love God and do his will.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the Patron Saint of:

Catholic School
Loss of Parents

franciscanmedia.org

Statue at St. Michael the Archangel
Woodstock, GA

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 1:35-42

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious (Memorial)

Come, and you will see. (John 1:39)

Has anyone ever asked you a question like this: “What are your greatest hopes and dreams?” Big-idea questions might leave you feeling like a deer caught in the headlights—you just freeze and don’t know how to answer.

Today’s Gospel finds the first apostles in a similar situation. John the Baptist points them to Jesus, so they follow, not knowing exactly why. When he turns and asks them, “What are you looking for?” they freeze and try to change the subject: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (John 1:38). They really don’t know what they’re looking for. They’ll only find out when they accept Jesus’ invitation, “Come, and you will see” (1:39).

So what are you looking for? It’s a question the Lord wants to ask all of us. It’s also a question he can help us answer in the best way possible. By showing us who he is, he gradually unveils our own deepest longings and desires. That’s because we belong to him. We are created in his own image and likeness, and we find all our true answers in him and in the desires of his heart.

So today in prayer, accept his invitation to come and see:

• “Come and see how deeply I delight in you. Come and see that you are beloved and treasured in my eyes. Come and see your true incalculable worth in my eyes.”

• “Come and see that I have redeemed you from sin. Receive my mercy, which is always flowing like a mighty river. See that I gave my very life for you. I withheld nothing so that you might walk in freedom. Come and see that you can be set free.”

• “Come and see the dreams I have for your life. I have plans and goals for you. Let me show you how I look at you and how hopeful a future you have as you learn from me.”

What are you really looking for? Jesus! So quiet your mind, and let him fill you up with his love. He wants to show you who he is—and who you really are. Come, and you will find the answer to the longings in your heart.

“Thank you, Lord, for inviting me to come and see you!”

1 John 3:7-10
Psalm 98:1, 7-9

The Statue “at St. Michael the Archangel” is of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, have a tremendous presence in Northern NJ, serving as teachers, professors, hospital administrators, college administers, doctors, nurses, etc.

January 4 2020

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

Reading 1 1 Jn 3:7-10

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9

Alleluia HEB 1:1-2

Gospel Jn 1:35-42

For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, please go here.

Readings at Mass

No-one sins who has been begotten by God

'We have found the Messiah'

January 4 -Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Story

Reflection

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the Patron Saint of:

Meditation: John 1:35-42