Friday Before Epiphany
Feast of St. John Neumann, January 5, 2024
1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1-5; Jn 1:43-51
Two simple words spoken in the Gospel today sum up our whole Christian life. They are the simplest answers to the ultimate question we ask ourselves every day. The question? “What is my goal in life, and how do I achieve it?” The answer is, “Follow me.” Jesus could not say it any simpler than He did to Phillip, and ultimately, all of the apostles. He asks that of us every day whether we hear it or not. Every time we stumble or fall, Jesus is there, “Follow me,” He says. When we are having good days and tend to forget about Him, Jesus turns to us, looks at us, and says, “Follow me.” There are literally no times in our life, no matter what the circumstances are, where Jesus is not there stating, “Follow me.” He is not asking, He is stating, “Follow me.” And like Phillip and Nathanael, we respond to that call. While we are not perfect, we do recognize Jesus is the link between heaven and earth. That is our goal, that is what we need to achieve, heaven, and the way there is to follow Him.
St. John Neumann, whose feast day is today, heard that call and decided to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Coming from Bohemia, he first came to Niagara Falls and did missionary work there with the German settlers. Ten years later he was made Bishop of Philadelphia and established approximately 50 new churches and almost 100 new schools in the diocese. He also founded the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and cared for many poor and orphans. He died in 1860 and was canonized in 1977. A true example of doing what Jesus said, “Follow me.”
Are we willing to follow Jesus? The answer is simple, a simple, “yes.” but in practicality, it takes a lifetime to accomplish. The message we hear in our first reading from John, that it is better to love than to hate, is just one lesson in accomplishing the goal of following Jesus. Loving one another, and having charity, is better than living a life of hatred and selfishness. The opposite of charity is hate, which begets slavery to ourselves and the world. God loves us all because He gives life and care to all. To love is to live in God. So the next time you question yourself, and wonder what your goal in life is, know that it is to get to heaven, and the only way to get there is to do what Jesus says, and follow Him.
Saint James Catholic Church 