Meeting Jesus— Is Life-changing!
Want a Transformation in Life? Saint Andrew and Saint John are here to Show you How!
It is a truth that the love of God meets you where you are; no matter what the situation, the love of God meets you in your mess, in your disasters, crisis, chaos, in all your troubles and sad circumstances. In the Gospel, we find people meeting Jesus and see how greatly their lives are transformed! I would like to reflect on two great saints who became apostles of Jesus and how Jesus and Mary transformed their lives.
Saint Andrew with Jesus
A few months ago, while reading some of the passages in the Gospel of John where Andrew appears, I reflected on the question of how knowing Jesus can change our lives.
Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. On hearing his master proclaim the gospel “Behold, the Lamb of God” and pointing to Jesus as He walked by, both Andrew and John got up and followed Him. When Jesus turned and saw them following, He asked, “What are you looking for?”They did not know how to respond because they were not sure themselves, and so they asked another question, “Rabbi, where are You staying?” Jesus invited them to come and see. The Gospel states that they said “Yes” to the invitation and stayed with Jesus that day. Even the time of day is noted in the Gospel of John, signifying that this time spent with Jesus was indeed one of transformation for both Andrew and John. They were not perfect at this point, but something changed in them.
The key statement that spoke to my heart was when Andrew first found his own brother Simon and told him the good news. “We have found the Messiah,” he said.What also came to mind were the words of Saint Paul to the jailor in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus andyou and your household will be saved.” The promise of God is that believing and surrendering my life daily under the lordship of Jesus Christ will save my life and that of my family from eternal death. Did Andrew know this promise or was God leading him?
Life-Saving Action
Andrew’s first reaction was to find his own family, his own brother, proclaim the good news to him, then bring him to Jesus. The first lesson Andrew teaches us is that in our individual role as husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, brother or sister or even as a close friend, our primary duty in knowing Jesus is to present Him to our inner circle, our own family or in some cases, very close friends and to bring them to Jesus.
He teaches us that in today’s modern society, the salvation of the family or your inner circle is still God’s number-one priority. First, we need to embrace the discipline of spending time with Jesus as Andrew did, not for His sake but for ours, so we are transformed on the inside. We have to intentionally grow in this discipline. We may not become perfect as long as we live, but at the least we are a work in progress on the journey to perfection. We become a tragedy to our families and society if we simply remain as raw material.
Second, Andrew teaches us to work for the salvation of our families or close friends. The reality is that family or very close friendships can be the place where you are loved the most but also where you are let down the most because of brokenness. Whether I am loved or let down in my own family or close friendship setting, I am not excused from working for the salvation of myself. I cannot ignore the salvation of my family or close friendships.
Another place where Andrew is mentioned in the Gospel of John is at the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus Himself knew what He was going to do, but to test His disciples, He asked how to buy enough food for the crowd to eat. It was Andrew who called attention or brought before Jesus the boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Even as he did this, he most likely questioned how a tiny portion could satisfy the entire crowd.
An Act of Trust
Oftentimes, we can look at the messiness of our own lives and become dejected with the reality that we can never be an instrument of God to lead our families or close friends to Him. Rather than becoming a blessing to our families or close friends, we often become a snare. It is in these circumstances where Divine Mercy, who is Jesus, meets the broken me and says, “I desire to transform the broken, imperfect, raw material of your life into a Eucharist, so that you become a blessing for your own family, close friends and others. Will you trust Me enough to surrender your broken self to me?” Andrew knew the impossibility in the proposal of Jesus. We know the intensity of our own misery and wonder if anything good could come out of us.
In his heart, Andrew questions the wisdom in the plan of Jesus. We often do the same. Despite Andrew’s struggle to find the logic in the proposal of Jesus, he trusted that his master could do something wonderful with the little he had to offer. He cannot explain how, but he trusted because he knew what he felt deep inside his heart when he spent that day with Jesus. Andrew teaches us to make an act of trusting surrender in each Eucharistic celebration and daily prayer time.
Give into the hands of Jesus the messiness of your life. Do not be content with allowing the raw material of our lives to remain as such, but surrender it to Jesus. Jesus takes the brokenness of our lives and raises it up not to humiliate us in front of others, but to ask the blessing of the heavenly Father upon the most imperfect gift we surrender.
After the blessing—which is the infilling of the Holy Spirit—we are distributed to our families and close friends. They are filled with joy because as I am distributed, it is no longer I they see, but Jesus, who dwells in me. Even after they surrender their lives to Christ, I am not exhausted of grace, but the spring of living waters continues to flow out from me. In fact, there is a huge abundance of grace. Thank you, dear Jesus, for the lessons you teach us through the life of Saint Andrew.
Saint John with Mother Mary
One of the hidden yet powerful lessons of the Gospels is that the time spent with Mother Mary is indeed the time spent training in virtue. This lesson is unfolded for us when we examine the transformation that took place in the beloved disciple John at the empty tomb.
Upon the report from Mary of Magdalene, both Peter and John ran to the tomb, but John reached it first. The Bible says John did not go in, but rather waited for Simon Peter to get there and go in first. Then John followed. I used to wonder why the Bible highlighted this specific act because it seemed so insignificant. My doubts were cleared by a priest who explained the reason behind this during his homily. At the foot of the cross after Jesus had entrusted his mother into the care of John, from that hour the disciple took Mary into his home.
John got to spend the entire day (Holy Saturday) with Mother Mary. During that time, John must have laid his head on her lap, because John had a habit of reclining at Jesus’ side when he was with Him. As Mother Mary stroked his hair, she must have reminded John that Jesus used to do the same thing. At that moment, however, there was a gap in virtue between the two. Why was John lacking in virtue?
Finding the Pitfalls
In the Gospel of Luke, it states that Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, and they were going to pass through a Samaritan village, but the villagers did not welcome Him. Then James and John asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to consume the people. Jesus turns and rebukes them. This incident shows that John was hot-tempered. He was easily prone to anger and revenge. While lying on Mary’s lap, John was reminded of his lack of virtue and surrendered this area of his heart into the hands of Mary.
In the Gospel of Mathew, the mother of John and James approach Jesus asking Him to command that in His kingdom, her sons would sit on His right and left. This showed that John desired a place of honor and lacked the virtue of humility. He probably also harbored a grudge in his heart toward Peter who was appointed as head of the Church when Jesus said, “You are rock and upon this rock I will build My church.”
From the Lap of Mary
While spending Holy Saturday with Mother Mary, John was reminded of his desire to be served rather than to serve. It was a powerful retreat for John to be in the presence of Mother Mary, one that totally transformed him. How do we know he was transformed?
When he writes the Gospel of John, he does not name himself but refers to himself as the other disciple or the one whom Jesus loved, showing the virtue of humility. Similarly, when Peter and John arrived at the empty tomb, although John arrived first, he did not go in but rather waited for Peter to do so first. This act showed that he accepted the authority of Peter and no longer desired the seat of honor.
In spending time with Mother Mary, John embraced the desire to serve rather than be served. I believe Saint John Paul II stated once that the aspect of Mary that gets neglected the most is meditation on her virtues. In other words, as a Catholic I am not spending enough time with Mary training in virtue.
Growing in Virtue
Dear Mother Mary, help us to spend time with you as John did, that we also may become more like Jesus, so that in us virtue will shine and vice disappear. I feel it is no accident that the Bible does not mention the name Mother Mary or Mary mother of Jesus after Acts 1. While there are references to Mary in Revelation, the term Mary the Mother of Jesus is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible after Acts 1. It is as if Mary chose to remain in the upper room, in the room of prayer and silence, waiting for us to enter and train with her in virtue.
Training in virtue is a lifelong process, and to do it effectively involves a lot of dying to self, renewing our thought process and attitudes, and evaluating our convictions and ideas in the presence of one who is full of grace. By remaining in the room of silence, Mary reminds us that this training does not have to be done alone—she is there to guide us so our transformation and progress is according to the will of God and so we will bear abundant fruit and glorify God.
Dear Jesus and Mary, we thank you for the lessons given to us through Saint Andrew and Saint John. Truly we accept our weaknesses and failures; we surrender ourselves into your hands. Help us to spend time with you so we may grow more and more in virtues and be transformed in Spirit. Amen.
Jenson Joseph has been part of Shalom Media as a speaker at the Shalom Conferences. He lives with his family in Michigan, USA. Watch his series at shalomworld.org/show/discipleship
Latest Articles
Christmas comes with the reminder of getting gifts for everyone, but is it really the gift that matters? Browsing in a local Christian bookstore many years ago with my boyfriend at the time, our eyes landed on a particular picture at exactly the same moment. It was a large, colorful depiction of Jesus, entitled The Laughing Christ; with His head tossed back slightly, somewhat disheveled, dark brown hair framed crinkled eyes, twinkling with delight! It was perfectly enchanting! We found ourselves staring at the slightly crooked smile beneath the subject of the portrait's engaging gaze. Oh, so inviting! So accepting! So attractive! Glancing up from this likeness toward each other, we shared the excitement the other felt at discovering this unique presentation of the person we had each come to know and trust in the last few years. We were both raised with statues and pictures of Jesus in our respective homes, but He was always portrayed as serious, somehow detached from life as we knew it. While we believed the person represented in these images had truly lived on this earth and even prayed to Him when we needed something, our faith individually had recently become something very real...alive, even. This artist’s impression reflected who we both discovered the Lord to be in our lives—someone with whom we could share life, someone who loved us in ways we had never known before, someone who revealed Himself to us when we prayed. As a result, our understanding of God was transformed from merely an intellectual assent of His existence to a new experience of a living, communicative, and wonderful friend; our very best friend. Even as we left the store a little while later, our animated conversation about this portrayal continued. It captured each of our hearts, yet neither of us had made a move to purchase it. As soon as I got home, I knew I had to go back and buy this picture. A few days later, I did just that, then carefully wrapped it, and waited excitedly for Christmas to arrive. Gift of Honor The days passed till finally, it was Christmas Eve. With carols playing in the background, we sat on the floor near the small straggly artificial tree given to me by my mother. Handing my gift to my beloved, I waited expectantly to hear his appreciation as he spied the new wristwatch I had placed on the paw of the little stuffed dog who would cleverly deliver the timepiece. A mumbled “thanks” was all the response I got. No worries, that wasn't the gift that I knew would be perfect. But first, I was to open his gift to me. Reaching to accept it, I felt a bit puzzled. It was large, rectangular, and flat. As I began to open it, pulling the wrapping paper away from the present, I suddenly saw...my picture?! The same one I secretively purchased for him? Yes, that was it! The Laughing Christ. The picture I loved so much but instead of being thrilled, I felt disappointed. This was supposed to be his present. The one I knew was exactly what he wanted. I tried to hide my disappointment, leaning over to give him a kiss while expressing my appreciation. Then pulling out the present I had carefully wrapped and hidden behind the tree, I gave it to the object of my love. He opened it, ripping the paper quickly, revealing the contents of the package. His face looked happy...didn't it? Or was it a bit crestfallen like I had felt mine would have looked if I hadn't worked so hard to hide my disappointment from him when it had been my turn to open a gift? Oh, we both said the all right words, of course, yet somehow we sensed the gift we received from each other was not nearly as meaningful to us as we had hoped. It was the giving of that present that we both looked forward to with such anticipation. It reflected the Christ we’d both experienced and our desire was to share who we each had come to know. That was where the joy was found, not in having our own desires met, but in fulfilling the desires of the other. In time, my relationship with that young man ended. While it was painful, the joyful image of Jesus continued to hold a place of honor on my wall. Now, it is so much more than just a depiction, and so much more than just a man. It stays as a reminder of the One who would never leave me, the One with whom I would always be in a relationship, the One who would dry my tears many times through the years. But more than that, the One who is always such a source of delight in my life. After all, He was my life. Those crinkling eyes met mine. Then, that engaging smile invited me to pull the corners of my own mouth upward. And just like that, I was laughing alongside my Best Friend.
I didn’t know their language or their emotional pain...How could I connect with them? Thursday, February 22, 2024, is a day I will never forget. At 05:15 AM, along with several of my colleagues in Catholic Social Services, I awaited the arrival of 333 refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Uganda. Egyptian Airlines was entrusted with flying them from Entebbe, Uganda, to Cairo, Egypt, and finally to their Canadian entry point, Edmonton. Suddenly, the doors at the other end opened and the passengers started walking toward us. Not knowing how to speak their languages, I felt extremely vulnerable. How would I, as one so privileged to be born in Canada, one who has never spent a moment in a refugee camp, be able to greet these exhausted, hopeful, apprehensive sisters and brothers in a way that would say: “Welcome to your new home”...? I asked one of my colleagues who speaks five languages: “What can I say?” “Just say, Salam, that will be enough”. Suddenly, the doors at the other end opened and the passengers started walking toward us. Not knowing how to speak their languages, I felt extremely vulnerable. How would I, as one so privileged to be born in Canada, one who has never spent a moment in a refugee camp, be able to greet these exhausted, hopeful, apprehensive sisters and brothers in a way that would say: “Welcome to your new home”...? I asked one of my colleagues who speaks five languages: “What can I say?” “Just say, Salam, that will be enough”. Extending a Hand After everyone was lined up in the Customs Hall, our team went downstairs and began passing out bottles of water, granola bars, and oranges. I noticed one older Muslim woman, perhaps 50-55 years of age, bent over her trolley, trying to push it. I went and greeted her with ‘Salam’ and smiled. With gestures, I tried to ask if I could help push her trolley. She shook her head: “No.” Six hours later, outside the Customs Hall, people were sitting in different cordoned-off areas; only 85 would be remaining in Edmonton and were waiting for family or friends to meet them and take them home. Some would be boarding a bus to be taken to other cities or towns, and still others would be overnighting in a hotel and would fly to their final destination the next day. For those who were being bussed to other cities in Alberta, a four to seven-hour trip awaited them. The elderly Muslim woman I had seen in the Customs Hall, I discovered, was to fly to Calgary the next day. I looked at her and smiled, and her whole face was radiant. As I approached her, she said in faltering English: “You love me.” I took her hands in mine, looked into her eyes, and said: “Yes, I love you and God/Allah loves you.” The young woman next to her, whom I discovered was her daughter, said to me: “Thank you. Now my Mom is happy.” With tears in my eyes, a heart full of joy, and very tired feet, I left the Edmonton International Airport, profoundly grateful for one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I may never encounter her again, but I know with absolute certainty that our God who is the embodiment of tender, compassionate love was made visible and tangible to me through my beautiful Muslim sister. In 2023, there were 36.4 million refugees seeking a new homeland and 110 million people displaced because of war, drought, climate change, and more. Day in and day out, we hear comments like: “Build walls,” “Close the borders,” and “They are stealing our jobs.” I hope that my story will, in some small way, help people understand the scene of Matthew 25 better. The righteous asked Jesus: “When Lord, God, did we do all these for you?” and He replied: “Whenever you did it to one of these little ones of Mine, you did it to Me.”
Crosses came in one after the other, but the Lord’s mercy never failed this family! I gave birth to my firstborn ten years ago, and we were overjoyed! I still remember the day; we were so glad to know that it was a baby girl. I couldn’t thank the Lord enough for His blessings upon my family. Like every mother, I dreamt of buying cute frocks, clips, and booties for my little doll. We named her ‘Athalie,’ meaning ‘God is exalted.’ We were praising God for His beautiful gift. Little did we know that our joy would soon be turned into a deep heartache or that our prayer of gratitude would soon be replaced with petitions for His mercy for our precious baby. At four months old, she became severely sick. With multiple seizure attacks, she would cry for hours and couldn’t sleep or feed well. After multiple tests, she was diagnosed with brain damage; she was also suffering from a rare kind of severe childhood epilepsy named ‘West Syndrome,’ which affects one in 4,000 children. Repeated Blows The diagnosis was too shocking and heartbreaking for us. I didn’t know how I could face the storm. I wanted my heart to be numb to the emotional pain I was going through. Many questions ran through my mind. This was just the beginning of a long and painful journey that I was never prepared to take. My baby girl continued to suffer from seizures for almost two and a half years. Doctors tried multiple medicines, painful daily injections, and numerous blood tests. She would cry for hours and all I could do was to ask for God to bestow His mercy on my child. I felt helpless for not being able to comfort her in any way. Life felt like a deep and dark pit of agony and despair. Her seizures eventually subsided, but she suffered global developmental delays. As her treatment was progressing, another shocking news rattled our family. Our son Asher, who was having speech delay and behavioral issues, was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at the age of three. We were on the verge of losing hope; life felt too overwhelming for us as new parents. No one could understand or feel the pain we were going through. We felt lonely and miserable. However, this period of loneliness and the painful days of motherhood brought me closer to God; His Word provided solace to my weary soul. His promises, which I was now reading with a deeper meaning and fuller understanding, encouraged me. Spirit-led Penmanship It was during this difficult season of my life that God enabled me to write faith-filled and encouraging blogs for people going through challenges and suffering similar to mine. My articles, birthed from my daily devotions, shared the challenges of special parenthood and included my life experiences and insights. God used my words to heal many aching souls. I am truly grateful to Him for turning my life into a useful vessel for His love. I would say that the despair of our daughter’s sickness solidified our family’s faith in God. As my husband and I ventured onto the unknown path of this unique parenthood journey, all that we had to cling to were the promises of God and the faith in our hearts that God will never leave nor forsake us. What once appeared like heaps of ashes began to turn into beauty of strength as God extended His grace, peace, and joy to us during the most heart-wrenching and dark season of our life. In the loneliest moments, spending time at His feet brought us renewed hope and the courage to move ahead. Answered Prayers After years of treatment and unending prayers, Athalie’s seizures are now controlled, but she continues to have a severe form of cerebral palsy. She can’t talk, walk, see, or sit by herself and is completely dependent on me. Having recently moved from India to Canada, our family is currently receiving the best treatment. A substantial improvement in her health is making our lives more colorful. Asher is out of the spectrum, and he has caught up completely on his speech. After many schools had initially rejected him because of his inattentiveness, I home-schooled him till grade five. Though he shows a few traits of ADHD, by God’s grace, he is now enrolled in grade six in a private Christian school. He is a book lover who shows a unique interest in the solar system. He loves learning about different countries, their flags, and maps. Though life is still filled with challenges, the love of God is what makes us parent our children with love, patience, and kindness. As we continue to embrace the hope we have in Jesus and travel through this unique path of special-needs-parenting, I believe that there are times when we have answers to our prayers right away, and our faith works and produces results. In those times, God’s strength and power are revealed in what He does for us—the sure answer to our prayers. On other occasions, His strength continues to shine through us, enabling us to endure our pain with courage, letting us experience His loving mercies in our difficulties, showing us His power in our weaknesses, teaching us to develop the ability and wisdom to take the right steps ahead, empowering us to tell stories of His strength, and encouraging us to witness His light and hope amidst our challenges.
John Taylor was in his mid-50s when he came home one day from a game of golf and shared with his wife a strange pain he had begun to experience in his hands. He was soon diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that would slowly reduce his athletic body to mere skin and bones in a span of just 20 years. As the illness grew in strength, part of his tongue was removed; he couldn’t speak or eat, so he was fed directly through a tube. Though I had trouble understanding what he was saying, I enjoyed his company very much. He had a great sense of humor, and Anne was a beautiful cook, so I ended up spending many evenings with the family. In 2011, at the height of his illness, John, who belonged to the Church of Wales, expressed his desire to become a Catholic like his wife Anne! On Christmas Eve, a Mass was held for him in their living room. At the time of Holy Communion, I poured a little jug of the Precious Blood through his tube directly into his stomach so that he could celebrate his First Holy Communion. It was one of the most extraordinary First Holy Communions I've ever seen and one of the most beautiful Christmas Eve of my life. The memory of that day and that blessed couple still reminds me of what I am doing as a priest—bringing the Incarnation and the Precious Blood of Christ to the world. During his last days, John bled profusely every morning, so Anne had to repeatedly change his bedclothes. It was extraordinary—while John’s state reminded me of the crucified Christ, Anne was configured to the Virgin Mary who stood by and took care of Him in His passion. We buried Anne last year, more than a decade after John’s passing. Jesus said the Saints would shine like stars in the Kingdom of God; now, with two more, the night sky is brighter.
Want to be in the loop?
Get the latest updates from Tidings!