On August 24th we celebrated the feast of St. Bartholomew (Nathaniel), one of the apostles. The short gospel story for the feast always intrigues me (Jn. 1: 45-51). Philip has met Jesus and has accepted Jesus’ invitation to “Come follow me.” He runs off to find his friend Nathaniel and says, “We have found him whom Moses and the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathaniel responds with a cynical, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” But Philip persists, “Come and see!”
When Nathaniel meets Jesus, Jesus surprises him by saying, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” What a thing to say! Jesus could have said, “Here is a man held prisoner by his own cynicism!” But no, Jesus sees more deeply into Nathaniel and detects his goodness and personal integrity.
This story is all about seeing–or, more accurately, about seeing and about being seen. Nathaniel goes to see Jesus, despite his reservations that anyone of importance could come from a backwater place like Nazareth. In the end, he ends up believing Philip and accepting Jesus’ call to discipleship. But would this have ever happened if Nathaniel had not been seen by Jesus first?
What would happen if we saw people more as Jesus sees them? What if we saw beneath the talkitiveness, a desire for connectedness? If we saw beneath the rashness, a capacity for leadership (as Jesus saw in Peter)? What if we saw beneath the shyness, an exemplary tenderness? Or beneath the wildness, a passion for justice for all?
I suggest you take a few moments to recall individuals in your life who saw something good in you that perhaps you didn’t even see in yourself. Here are two of mine. As a young adult I met a woman who had been our babysitter when I was quite young. She said to me, “You were the happiest little child I ever babysat for. And you were interested in everything–a bird singing up in a tree, a stone in the driveway, a daisy you found in the field.” She painted a picture of me as a happy, curious child that affected the way I viewed myself.
Years later, in graduate school at Indiana University, I was part of a seminar with mostly younger students who really knew their British Literature. I was at IU only in the summers. During the year I was teaching teenagers things like the the prinicpal parts of verbs and how to write sentences! Consequently, I felt I had nothing worthwhile to contribute to a discussion on the novel we were reading. But one day I mustered up some courage and made a contribution. The professor took what I said, enhanced it with his own words, and said, “That’s a really good insight, Sister Melannie!” The fact that I can remember these tiny incidents–after so many years–shows the impact they had on me!
Perhaps you can also try to see others in your life as Jesus might be seeing them; that is, to see in them a good quality rather than focusing on one of their negative ones. This new way of seeing them could eventually have an impact on them and your relationship with them.
And finally, here’s a little prayer you might want to say:
Jesus, see me… See me as you saw Nathaniel under the fig tree that day… See all of me–not just my weaknesses and shortcomings… but my strengths as well… especially my sincere desire to be a more loving person… May your seeing of me give me greater clarity of who I am… and greater encouragement to follow you as your disciple… May your way of seeing others impact my own way of seeing others, a seeing that helps free them to be the beautiful people they really are… Jesus, see me… today and every day. Amen.
For reflection:
Who saw good in you that you didn’t even know you had? How did their seeing of you impact your life?
Have you ever seen good in someone that made a difference in their life?
What can help us to see people and situations more with the eyes of Jesus?
PS: This week I’m leading a retreat in Nerinx, KY, at the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse located on their 700 acre farm in rural Kentucky! The Sisters have been at this location since 1824! I’m eager to be with these Sisters this week and learn from them. I’ve always admired their congregation and their amazing work in Catholic education and social justice. I ask for your prayers for this retreat, a retreat that will focus on celebrating HOPE! Thank you so much! I will let them know you are praying for them!
Our video is called “The God Who Sees.” Using some stunning images, it sings of God’s everlasting care of us.
I invite you to comment on anything in this blog–the words, the pictures, the video…
5 Responses
As a teacher, I have the responsibility and privilege of seeing the good in my students daily and speaking it. I can never do it enough. I also have the privilege of communicating this goodness to their parents. It’s a ministry of Gods love, I believe.
Good evening, Melannie…
Good evening, all…
All so beautiful! Especially your final prayer! Once had a 6th grade teacher, Sr. Gertrude Elizabeth, SND. We called her “Gerty” (never to her face!), and she was a no nonsense teacher. My grades that year were — to put it mildly — horrible! One class, right before Christmas break, she gave us a poem called “Communion,” a poem about the birth of Jesus. She asked the class why the poem is titled “Communion.” Crickets! No one said a word. Then I raised my hand and said, “Is it because the world is receiving Christ?” (Or something like that). She gave me a look of mild incredulity, opened her grade book and marked something down, and said, “Very good.” Years went by, my grades improved a little, talked my way into college, majored in English, and I am now starting my 43rd year as an English teacher. Thank you, Sr. Gertrude!
Dear Sister Melanie,
An old friend recently said that he thought I always found the good in people. It caught me by surprise. Fighting cynicism and negativity are daily battles.
P.S. fyi, your blog wasn’t in my email box on Monday. I will sign up again.
It was a dear Nursing Sister who told me, the nurses aide that I was good at nursing. It was all I needed to believe in myself and have never forgotten what she did for me. Thank you sister Gerard!
Thank, Sr. Melanie, for this reflection.
I am going through Domestic Violence trauma, divorce after 37 years of marriage, and moving in with my elderly mother who almost died in front of me at Holy Cross Hospital this past spring. But God & His grace has been with me every step of the way! I have moved in with my elderly mother and now I am her care taker. My mother is negative and frustrated with her loss of independence, sight, and hearing. It seems I am constantly not saying or doing the right things. I try to share my surrender to God totally when my mother was in Rehab and how my Catholic faith in God sustained me. She always thinks I am suggesting that she is not holy enough, etc.
I truly needed to read this meditation and your profound wisdom is “spot on” for my current situation! God bless you and your ministry.