January 14, 2018 Gospel Reflection

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

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In today's Gospel, Jesus called us to follow Him. He called us name by name to be His follower.

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I was baptized at an early age as a Catholic Christian. I cannot consider that I was called by Christ to be His follower. I do not even have given at that time my consent to be part of His body. But, even so my parent raised me to be a good follower of Christ to the best of their abilities. At the age of 12, I have confirmed my baptismal faith. I undergo to this sacrament that they call as confirmation; affirming all the promises and pledges my parents have done in my place during my baptism.

Growing up as a follower of Christ is challenging. You have to battle the devil inside you by abiding to the commandments of the Lord. Not only the devil but also this materialistic world. In Christ I have found the meaning of life. Though hard for others who are of less faith to understand, for me Christ is the center of everything we do. Because of Christ, I became a Knight of the Altar. I serve Christ in every day mass service at the church by assisting the priest and church activities. Also, I took part in every Christian outreach programs. We visited the prisoners & the sick, help the community by cleaning, and many more.

But despite my solid foundation in my early years as a Christian follower of Christ, the Devil has found a way to plant the serpent's seed. In my college years, my faith started to crumble down. I have a lot of questions that are left unanswered. I started to question the doctrines of the Church and the Words of God. It was as if I became a rebel just like Lucifer. I am an intelligent student. God has given me a wonderful brain. I will not deny the fact that I have a questioning mind (skeptic). Too much knowledge led me to become rebellious. I have thought to myself that I know everything and I do not need God. I was so proud of myself blinded to all the Mercy and Love of God.


I was lost. Until one day, Christ called me again. I knew Christ love will never abandon me. I knew he will always be there. From the time I was lost, Chris called me everyday. His love for me has no end. As I was standing looking at the sea, I pause and started to reflect about life and realize one thing is missing. And it is Christ. Nobody told me to follow Christ, nobody told me to be good, nobody forced me to be a Christian. It was I who chooses to and I always knew Christ wants me to be His follower. From that moment on I never miss the chance to be His follower again.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen. - Matthew 22:14