Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feasts of the Resurrection of the Lord and the Triumph of Orthodoxy, as well as with the conclusion of the first week of Great Lent!

Today during the Divine Liturgy we read a Gospel excerpt from the first chapter of John’s Gospel, in which we heard about the calling of the Holy Apostles Philip and Nathaniel. All four of the evangelists write about the calling of the disciples, but only Matthew and Mark have similar accounts. Luke’s story does not exactly match Matthew’s and Mark’s, while John writes about completely different events. The question about how to combine these variances is an interesting one, but I think you can research this puzzle yourselves.

Today let’s focus our attention on the Holy Apostles and especially on St. Nathaniel. From today’s Gospel reading we can assume that the brothers Peter and Andrew were acquainted with or were even friends with Philip and Nathaniel. We know that Andrew, and perhaps Peter, were earlier disciples of John the Forerunner. It turns out that all of the named men were deeply-believing people, knew the Holy Scriptures decently well, were aware of the prophecies about the Messiah, and were very much waiting for Him to appear. Perhaps it is this thirst to see the Saviour that bound together all the apostles that were named in today’s Gospel. It is this friendship or acquaintance that brings Nathaniel to Christ. Let us also to try to be acquainted with believing and pious people who have an interest in studying Holy Scripture and discussing questions regarding spiritual and church matters. Perhaps through such people we will, as was the case with Nathaniel, make some kind of spiritual discoveries and come closer to the Lord.

Of course to find Christ it is not enough to have good friends; it is also important to have certain spiritual characteristics. These characteristics are clearly visible in Nathaniel. On the one hand, he is accurate and careful. He does not immediately believe the words of Philip that the Messiah has been found, but remembering Holy Scripture and that the Saviour will not come from Nazareth, he answers his friends with a hint of skepticism: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” On the other hand, he is quite simple, trusting, and open. He does not persist in his supposed knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, but goes to see Christ as his companion had advised. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself noticed this good trait and noted that Nathaniel was “an Israelite indeed, in whom [there was] no guile!”

How can we acquire these character traits? How can we be careful and accurate, while at the same time being open and simple? Perhaps Nathaniel, in today’s reading, gives us the answer to this question. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to Nathaniel that He saw him under the fig tree. What exactly happened under that tree no one can say with certainty, but these words of the Saviour had such a profound impact on the apostle that he immediately believed in Jesus as the Son of God. It seems to me that this type of reaction allows us to make the assumption that Nathaniel was praying intensely under the fig tree, that he was conversing or communing with God, pouring out his soul in that place, calling out from the depths of his heart for the coming of the Saviour. No one could have known this except for God, and therefore the simple words of the Saviour, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee,” elicited such a strong reaction from Nathaniel. Therefore, perhaps it is through fervent prayer that we can acquire good spiritual characteristics.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us make an effort throughout the following weeks of Great Lent to emulate the Apostle Nathaniel so as to become true disciples of Christ and to worthily meet His radiant resurrection.

priest Alexis