HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY (1)
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY
HOMILY THEME: JESUS’ ENCOUNTER WITH PHILLIP AND NATHANIEL
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
(Jn. 1:43-51)
In today’s Gospel Jesus encountered Phillip and Nathanael. Nathanael questioned Jesus’ person in as much as Jesus was known to be from Nazareth. At that time, Nazareth was relatively unknown if not popular for its notoriety.
Nathanael was just too honest that Jesus praised him for that: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” He called a spade a spade. He did not hide his doubt on a Nazorean. Humanity has a tendency to judge people by their places of origin. There was a time when people from Tondo, Mandaluyong, Bicutan, or Muntinlupa were of ill refute. Germans and Japanese were regarded as evil after the Second World War. It is sad that one act or the attitudes of some people are generalized. This maybe part of the reason why God chose Nazareth. It is similar to how, Jesus’ Time, women were second class citizens in a super patriarchal community.
Families also suffer the same fate. The disgraceful act of one can besmirch the whole family. It turned out, not only something good came out of Nazareth. Someone perfect came out. That perfect one was the Son of God.
This maybe a lesson for not judging a book by its cover. More than that, God, in Jesus Christ, is also God of the oppressed, outcast, anawims, and the marginalized. Did you ever wonder why the risen Lord first appeared to a woman and a great sinner like Magdalene? He made Peter, who denied Him thrice, as leader of the Church! St Paul, an executioner of Christians, after the risen Jesus appeared to him, became an apostle to the Gentiles. And he made many men, sinful ones like me, as His ministers!
God can write straight with crooked lines. God is not limited by place, action, or time. God can do what He wants in a person. Nothing is impossible to Him. He made humans full of possibilities specially for holiness. With God, something and someone good may come out of any place or situation at anytime.
