Bring a Friend to Christ

August 24, 2011

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 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.” (John 1:45-51)

Piety

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. (Psalm 145:12)

Study

When I was little, my favorite person in the whole world was my grandmother. She loved us dearly and always had funny stories to tell. She had a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. Whenever she came to visit, my brother and sister and I fought over whose turn it was to sit next to her in the car, who would get to sit beside her at the table, and whose turn it was to sleep with her that night. I loved snuggling with her in the big double bed, listening to her talk. Every few minutes my mom would shout from her bedroom, “Go to sleep in there!” So then we would hold it down to a whisper for a bit. I don’t know what my brother or sister talked about with Gram, but on those nights when it was my turn, she introduced me to Jesus. She told me stories about his life. She told me about his death and resurrection. She told me how much he loves us, and I fell in love with him in return. Gram also showed me how to talk with our Savior, how to pray. There’s no more precious or lasting gift she could have given me than that gift of faith.

Philip, in today’s Gospel reading, also knew he had something special to share after he became a follower of Jesus. He ran looking for his friend Nathaniel. Nathaniel, guess what? We’ve found him – the one Moses wrote about, the one the prophets talked about! His name is Jesus. He’s the son of Joseph from Nazareth. Come on, I want you to meet him! You can practically feel the excitement in his voice. Once Nathaniel met the Lord and realized that Jesus already knew everything about him, he, confessed his belief that Jesus is the Son of God and he, too, became a disciple.

Action

When was the last time you were so excited about your faith in Christ that you just wanted to run out and share it with a friend?

Make a friend. Be a friend. Bring a friend to Christ.