Jesus’ invitation! Today, as we celebrate the Feast of St Catherine of Siena, the patron saint of Europe, let us remember Jesus’ invitation to us all: ‘Come to me, all of you, and learn from me.’ This invitation also comes with a promise: ‘I will strengthen you, and you will find rest for your souls.’ We are all called to holiness, but it is those who respond to Jesus’ invitation in their daily lives and through their faithfulness, as St Catherine of Siena did, who become saints.
Biblical scholars call this fragment of the Gospel a meteor that fell from heaven because it reveals the Sonship of Jesus Christ and His relationship with His Father. The core and essence of the Gospel that John preached is that God is the Father of Jesus, and in Jesus, we are all one. Some even claim that the lightning comes from Him.
Jesus shows us his Father and glorifies him for hiding these things from the wise and intelligent and for revealing them to the humble. This passage is about understanding the mystery of the Kingdom of God, which was revealed to the humble and simple. The Pharisees and scribes lack this understanding because they are convinced of their self-sufficiency and reject Jesus’s teachings.
Do you realize that each Eucharist, daily family prayer, confession, and reception of the Blessed Sacrament is a response to Jesus’s invitation? How would you evaluate your meetings? Are you satisfied with them? Can Jesus, who constantly invites you, always be satisfied with them? Ask yourself and Jesus about those daily meetings now. Perhaps you will also hear Him offer to help you make them more creative and fruitful.
