Before We Turn to the Lord, Jesus Sees Us!

Before We Turn to the Lord, Jesus Sees Us! In the book of Genesis, Jacob rested under the open sky. On that night he had a dream in which he saw a golden ladder extending from heaven to earth. On top of the ladder was the Lord. Ascending and descending on the ladder were the Angels of God. Awaking the next morning, Jacob erected an altar and he prayed. He named the place Bethel . . . House of God, the very gate of heaven. The homily sets the tone in describing this dream, because Jesus references it in today’s Gospel. Jesus references it as He speaks to Bartholomew, also named Nathaniel. Our Lord tells Nathaniel, . . . you will see . . . Jesus says it will not be a dream, but you will see it. You will see heaven opened. You will see the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Nathaniel, as Jesus tells us, will see a reality that is more real than what Jacob saw in his dream. Hear more what Jesus tells Nathaniel within the Homily. Think about it. If Jacob awakes and says this is the gate of heaven, understand what the Lord is saying. He is the gate to heaven! The Homily continues and discusses the first reading (not included within this audio). The new Jerusalem is a city which comes from heaven. This is the Church. In the Homily the Apostles are discussed as the foundation for this new city. Their names are listed above the twelve gates of the city. Lord, How Do You Know Me? Nathaniel is one of those twelve stones which serve as the foundation for the Church and the new Jerusalem. Why does Jesus tell this to Nathaniel? First, Philip tells Nathaniel we have found the one Moses tells us about . . . the Lord. Philip says . . . come and see. You have to see for yourself. If you want to see the One who the prophets spoke, you must come and see Him. Nathaniel goes to see the Lord, and the Lord sees Nathaniel approach. As soon as Nathaniel is in ear shot, Jesus speaks. The word of Christ seeks Nathaniel. Here is a true son of Israel. Nathaniel says, we are just meeting. We have not even been introduced. How do you know me? And Jesus explains, before Philip called you, I knew you. We reflect very little on how the Lord knows us! Before we turn to the Lord, He sees us! He knows us! Hear how the lesson of Nathaniel impacts our own Spiritual Journey! Understand the message for us in today’s Homily. Listen to this Meditation Media.