Coming to Know Jesus Personally

Homily for January 4, 2025

St. John’s Gospel changes the dynamic of the first disciples to follow Jesus to which we are accustomed in the synoptic Gospels. Whereas Saints Matthew Mark and Luke portray Jesus calling the disciples to follow him, St. John’s Gospel uses the Baptist as the one who introduces Jesus to his followers. Following his introduction, Andrew seeks out Peter. Then Jesus calls Philip who then turns to Nathaniel. Each of them uses a different title to identify Jesus. He is called the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the one about whom Moses wrote and then the Son of God each of the titles had been used in the synoptic Gospels. By repeating them in the very first chapter of his Gospel, St. John is telling us that he intends to go even further in his identification of Jesus.

Each time Jesus is met by someone, the life of that person is transformed. Like them, we have come to recognize who Jesus truly is and have had our own experience of being changed: converted, molded, purified, and refined. We have been forgiven, challenged, blessed, and consoled. Our participation in the life of discipleship means that our relationship with God and with our neighbor has also been changed. We are called to share the experience of transformation with others, to help them find the experience of forgiveness and healing, of peace and joy that only Jesus can give.

Each time a life is transformed through the experience of meeting Jesus, the incarnation happens once again. Jesus becomes flesh for each of us when we first meet him. In him, we experience God. As the Christmas prefaces remind us over and over again, the invisible God becomes visible. The mystery of the incarnation is not something that happened once; the incarnation happens each time that God meets one of us.

The same can be said for this sacramental that we celebrate. When we receive Jesus in the consecrated bread and the consecrated cup, Jesus is physically present in our lives. We are privileged to experience the mystery of the incarnation each and every time.

For the past few days, our response has been the same: “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.” Each time we share the experience of meeting Jesus another person, we enable them to see God’s saving power in their lives. Just as John the Baptist introduced Andrew and the other disciple to Jesus and facilitated their transformation, it is our mission to continue to introduce Jesus to others.