Confirmation of our fig tree contemplation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to imagine the experience of Nathaniel as he accepts the invitation to “come and see” Jesus.

Contemplate "Come and See"

The Book of Revelation shares a image of the New Jerusalem where the Church is built upon the patriarchs of Israel and the apostles, of which Nathaniel, known as Bartholomew in the Synoptic Gospels, is an early member.

* [21:9–22:5] Symbolic descriptions of the new Jerusalem, the church. Most of the images are borrowed from Ez 40–48.
* [21:9] The bride, the wife of the Lamb: the church (Rev 21:2), the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:10); cf. 2 Cor 11:2.
* [21:14] Courses of stones,apostles: literally, “twelve foundations”; cf. Eph 2:19–20.

The Gospel from John relates the connection Jesus makes with Nathaniel as he pursues the truth and beauty of the Law under a fig tree.

* [1:49] Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).
* [1:50] Possibly a statement: “You [singular] believe because I saw you under the fig tree.”

Larry Gillick, S.J. shares that the encouragement from today’s Readings and for our sharing in the Eucharist is deep.

Faith is a way of seeing and hearing and faith needs doubts as a setting for believing. Believing plays out in doing and receiving, but never convincing. Our human desire for certainty is not always convinced even with data, logic and human experience at hand. The early Apostles, all their followers as Bishops, and we as followers embrace the very human condition which Jesus embraced, knew and kept faithful to. Seeing is not believing! Believing is a way of being seen by God, called by Jesus, and accepted by us.

Don Schwager sees in Nathaniel a skeptical but earnest search for God's truth and he comments on the kind of proof Philip offers to Nathanael.

Rather than argue with his friend, Philip took the wiser strategy of inviting Nathanael  to "come and see" for himself who this Jesus claimed to be. Clever arguments rarely win people to the Gospel - but an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ can change one's life forever. When people are receptive to the word of Christ and when they see his love in action, the Lord Jesus himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, touches their hearts and opens their minds to recognize that he truly is the Son of God who reveals the Father's love and truth to us.

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:45-51 urges us to go and sit under our “fig tree” today, wherever that may be.

For centuries, God’s promises had sustained Israel with words of comfort, guidance, and hope. A radiant bride, a city and temple shimmering with the glory of the Lord—images that pointed to a peaceful future when God would live among his people and make them a light to the rest of the world.
Nathanael must have drawn strength from reflecting on this life to come, even as he had to deal with Roman occupation. Perhaps this gave him eyes to recognize Jesus as the “Son of God” and “King of Israel” who would set things right (John 1:49). And Jesus replied, in essence: “Keep watching. Have faith. You haven’t seen anything yet!”

Friar Jude Winkler shares the symbology in the image of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. Nathaniel is under the fig tree studying the law in a truthful way. The pursuit of Truth and Beauty connects Nathaniel to Jesus and, as Friar Jude reminds, to even greater revelation of the Divine.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers the value of mindfulness and offers the reflection of Paul Knitter who recalls that [Tibetan Buddhist] Pema Chödrön’s talk of Groundlessness and [Jesuit theologian] Karl Rahner’s emphasis on Mystery were two different fingers pointing to the same moon”:

For both of them, to feel the Reality of Mystery or Sunyata means to let go of self, to trust totally in what both of them call infinite openness. Openness to what? To what is, to what’s going on right now, in the trust that what is going on is what I am a part of and what will sustain and lead me, moment by moment. Only moment by moment. There are no grand visions promised here. Just a mindful trusting of each moment as it comes, with what it contains, with its confusion or inspiration, with its joy or horror, with its hope or despair. Whatever is there, this suchness right now, is the breath of the Spirit, the power of Mystery, the connectedness of Emptiness. . . . The suchness of each moment is the infinite Mercy of God.

We hope these meditations invite us to go deeper. Father Richard notes that Christianity and Buddhism are not in competition with one another, they offer great gifts to one another. Our practice of contemplation of truth and beauty under our fig tree may energize our efforts to ”come and see”.

References

(n.d.). Revelation chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21
(n.d.). John chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/1:45
(n.d.). Creighton Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Saint Rose of Lima, Virgin (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved August 24, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/