Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Seeing Him in the Little Things

How could we recognise the Lord if we were to pass Him in the street today? If we do not have a life of prayer, if we do not spend time with Him each day or have a real relationship with Him, it will be very difficult for us to recognise Him. That is why it is so important to stay close to the Lord and to receive the Sacraments. Knowing Him is not only a matter of understanding, but of relationship: spending time with Him, speaking to Him and listening to Him. He is a friend who wants to be part of our lives, but we must allow Him to enter them.

We need to be attentive to all the little gifts He gives us each day. When we get up in the morning, we can thank God for our spouse, for the new day, and ask Him to help us keep Him present in every moment. Only then, when our life becomes a constant prayer, will we be able to enjoy His presence at all times: in the small and hidden things, and also in the great things, when they come.

Brought into Married Life:

James: Do you know what happened to me today? I ran into David, and he had to stop me because I didn’t recognise him.

Charlotte: David? I don’t remember him…

James: Yes, Charlotte, that lad we invited to our wedding, the one who had a house in the mountains. We used to make lots of plans with him during the first few months of our marriage. He always surprised us because he changed girlfriends as often as he changed shirts…

Charlotte: That’s right! He was such a lovely person. But he was so lost, poor thing. We used to talk to him so much, but in the end, very politely, he basically told us and the rest of the group to get lost…

James: It’s incredible. Twenty years have gone by already. From the little he told me, he’s had a rather difficult life and it has taken its toll on him. We’ve arranged for him to come round for dinner one evening.

Charlotte: It would be lovely, James, if you could rebuild that friendship. I’m sure he would appreciate having a friend who listens to him. If he was the one who stopped you, it’s because he needs it.

James: Well, he told me I looked exactly the same as ever and asked whether I was following some sort of beauty treatment. I told him I was, and that our treatment consisted of spending time every day with a very good Friend, telling Him everything about our lives: the good things, the not-so-good things… and that, because of that, we don’t carry around great burdens and we are so happy. He laughed for a while, but it certainly made him curious.

Charlotte: Just look how beautiful that is. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help him draw close to the Lord again.

James: How good the Lord is!

Mother,

Help us to carry the Lord in our hearts at every moment and to discover Him in every detail of the day.

Blessed and praised be the Lord!