Daily Gospel Reflection for August 24, 2019

Today's Gospel: John 1:45-51 - Feast of St. Bartholomew Can anything good come from Nazareth? Like Nathaniel, how many times do we ask this question: Can anything good come from this? This situation, this place, this person? We wrestle with the evil and suffering around us, wondering what good can possibly come from it. We wrestle with the suffering in our own lives. Sometimes we even wrestle with the evil within us, wondering if we'll ever overcome certain sins. Come and see. But we too are invited to come to Jesus -- in the sacraments, receiving His graces through the Eucharist and Reconciliation. We're invited to come to Him in prayer, developing and deepening a relationship with Him. He invites us even as we doubt and wonder what good can come from the suffering. He understands and wants us to see that He has a beautiful plan. But first we must come in faith. Nathaniel had to take the first step to come to Jesus before he could see the good that came from Nazareth. I saw you under the fig tree. We don't know what happened under the fig tree or why the mention of it made Nathaniel proclaim Jesus as the Son of God, yet this part of the story always stirs me deeply. There's something powerful about knowing you are seen when you feel alone or simply unseen. When we come to Jesus with our doubts, when we step out in faith trusting that there is good coming from our "Nazareth," He is there with the reassurance that He sees us with such love and He is with us.