Reading 1
Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12ab
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened, and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
or
Rv 12:7-12ab
War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.”
Gospel
Jn 1:47-51
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
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.”
Meditation: John 1:47-51
Feast of the Archangels
What thoughts were going through Nathanael’s mind as he sat under that fig tree? He obviously noticed what kind of tree it was. Clearly being familiar with Scripture, he was probably drawn to meditate on Micah 4:1-4, where the prophet promises that peoples and nations shall stream to “the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths.” Micah says that swords and spears will give way to plowshares and pruning hooks and “every man shall sit under his own vine or under his own fig tree, undisturbed.” Perhaps Nathanael prayed, “Lord, hasten that day! I want to learn your ways and walk in your paths.”
Being an Israelite was very important to Nathanael. He knew that his ancestor Jacob, later named Israel, had seen angels ascending and descending a ladder (Genesis 28:10-15), and had even wrestled with an angel (32:23-31). Yet Nathanael also knew Jacob was a devious man who tricked his brother out of their father’s blessing and his father-in-law out of his best livestock (25:29-33; 27; 30:28-43). Nathanael prided himself on being different, an Israelite without duplicity.
In the midst of these musings, Nathanael was summoned by Philip to meet Jesus of Nazareth. At first he was annoyed (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”), but Jesus looked at Nathanael with love and spoke to him of his deepest longings. He addressed Nathanael as a true, straightforward Israelite. He knew what this man had been thinking about as he sat under his fig tree. And Jesus invited him to experience “greater things than this,” new things important enough to involve angelic messengers (John 1:46,50).
Jesus knows each one of us intimately. He sees us both when we pray and when prayer is the furthest thing from our minds. He knows the deepest longings of our hearts, and he wants to fulfill them. Like Nathanael, we too can see “greater things” than we ever imagined if we stay close to him.
”Jesus, you have legions of angels at your command, but you have chosen to build your kingdom with the sweat and labor of human beings like me. Thank you for knowing me, loving me, and inviting me to be a part of your kingdom.”
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; Psalm 138:1-5
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