Jan 17th, 2021, Sunday Motjari Meeting: Fr. Foeckler’s lecture note

[정하상성당]

Motjari 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Jan 17th, 2021

 

 +Ave  Cor Mariae

 

Today’s Gospel

John 1:35-42

John (John the baptist) was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.

 

 

Ordinary time comes twice between Lent, Easter and Christmas and between Christmas and Lent, Easter, total of 25 weeks. The time is called ordinary, because the time is ordered. In Latin, ordained is Ordinaris. It’s time for ordinary review of life of Jesus.

 

In ordinary times, we reviewed what he had done through this public life. Jesus preached, gave summon on the mountain, healed people, fed them in different times. Most of all, he mainly established his kingdom. He was building his church. Today is the 2nd Sunday, which also means first Sunday after Christmas

 

<Please read today’s Gospel above>

 

Jesus went to desert to pray, sacrifice and make fast for 40 days after he’d been baptized. St. John the baptist is a prophet. He says his words in prophetic way, he says he’s the lamb of the God, and his the bridegroom, all in prophetic way. What does it mean to be a lamb of God?

 

In Mass, when priest holds out a host, he holds the body of Jesus. He calls the host, the lamb of God. Why?

 

What happened when John the baptist and Jesus met at Jordan river? That’s wasn’t their first time met. Their first meeting was, of course, when they were still in their mothers’ womb respectively. St. John gave baptism of repentance, to purify one’s soul. Lowest job for a servant to do is undo the master’s shoe straps. St. John claimed that he was not even worth to undo the shoe strap of his sandal.

 

Jesus answered to him, Let it be for now, so that I can fulfill the justice.

Jesus knew his job already. Lamb meant the sacrificial lamb of Pentecost. 

When Jesus got baptized, the heaven’s were “torn open”, and a voice says, “This is my beloved son.” When Jesus was crucified, curtains hung in the temple were “torn open”, and at the moment Jesus’ dies, a centurion said, truly, this was the Son of God.

 

The disciple John is usually referred as “the beloved disciple”, not as John. This John in today’s Gospel thus must be John the baptist. 

 

How to be a disciple:

1. Change: what are you seeking? Who are we following? The most important of our life is to be with Jesus. What are we looking for? When disciples asked “Where do you stay LORD?”, Jesus answered, “Come and see.” 
2. Follow: “Come and see.”
3. Abide: They stayed with Him that day
4. Believe: Andrew concluded “We have found the Messiah!”
5. Share: Andrew brought Peter to Jesus
6. Jesus changed us: You are Peter.

 

I have not come to call the righteous, I come here to call the sick.

 

Mother Teresa was popular  because she was doing good.

Name is important. Jesus means “ God saves.” Names are important in Jewish people. Simon Bar-jonah (Simon the son of Jonah) now changed Cephas by Jesus. He has reborn, has new meaning of life.

 

Abide=stay=live=dwell

 

St. John’s Gospel starts with this: 

The word with made flash and dwell among us. Abide with.

God abiding with us, God living with us

 

Where do you abide?

St. John used it and come back to it to the last supper.

 

John 14:11

 

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.

 

The Father who dwells in me, abiding in me,

 

John 15:4

4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

 

John 17: 20-21

20 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

21 so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

 

Let’s share one thing that called your attention the most.

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