Thursday August 24, 2023

John 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’

Today is St Bartholomew’s feast day. My best friend in seminary is parish priest at that parish here in Louisville. Pablo and I used to have a rather dry sense of humor but we totally got each other. How about this reading today? Nazareth! Can anything good come from that place. They probably cleaned the language up in order to put this line in the holy book. Imagine if Nathaniel was from Gravel switch or from Chicken Gizzard road. He would have said, “you kidding me? Can anything good come from that …” Anyway I chuckle.

Can we really begin to even imagine where Jesus came from? How he broke all barriers to earn the right to stand up and speak. Can we even begin to imagine his accent, how he was dismissed within speaking a few words. This man fought his way out of a dark place and was dragged back into it at Calvary. You my friend are so incredibly blessed. Imagine what we can be if we tapped into our divine essence. The story of Nathaniel and Jesus is a story that we share. We too have been judged before we ever say a word. We have been subjected to the harsh judgment of part of our lives. Whatever it is they use, remember this, it is just part of your story our story.

Eventually they met. And the eyes of Bartholomew were opened. Something good, something very good can come out of that disastrous place or time or experience. God can come through.

Love you very much indeed.