Great is Faith

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 1:48-51

Reflection:
Do we believe because we are told this too? Do we believe when we read about it? Think about all the many things that we read about everyday, and believe those stories. We believe about things written that are far away, where our eyes can not see what is written about.

We have the same today, what good can come from this city? It is interspersed with poverty and crime, are there any good that are there? Yet we believe that there are many who dwell in these cities that are good. In Jesus' time, what was Nazareth like? To cause Nathanael to say what good can come from there. Was there poverty?Was it filled with crime like ours is.

We read today of a person's belief in Jesus. And Jesus already knew his answer, but he asked, "Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree." If he asked this of us today, what would our reply be? Do any of these seem familiar. I believe but I don't practice my faith. I believe but I won't talk about it. I believe, but first let me travel to a site of an apparition, so I can believe. So very many answers we have to what we believe is our faith, but our best one is only an excuse. Are we then like Nathanael, who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that we have unfailing faith without doubt about who Jesus is.

Nathanael's belief has allowed him the grace to be able to see heaven opened and the Angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Will ours enable us to see this too?