The Pope's Angels: Rediscover the Joy of Jesus' Disciples

Charlotta Smedes – Vatican City

In his reflections before leading the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke of the encounter between the first disciples and Jesus, which is repeated in today's reading from the Gospel of John.

To be a disciple of the Lord means to ask, to be present, and to share in the joy of discovering Him with others, just as the first disciples did when they discovered Christ.

Seek the Lord

The Pope explained that the two disciples in today’s Gospel are asked by Jesus when they meet him about what they are looking for, and this question invites them to see what they carry in their hearts and what they truly desire.

He added that the Lord does not want superficial followers, but rather people who “doubt themselves and allow His Word to challenge them.”

To be with the Lord

The Pope continued, saying: In meeting and discovering Christ, the anointed one of God, the disciples ask the Lord where he lives, and he invites them to “come and see.”

Faith, then, means meeting with the Lord and being with Him.

“To be with him, to stay with him: this is the most important thing for a disciple of the Lord.”

Tell others

The powerful experience of the encounter with Jesus prompted the two disciples to share their joy in this experience.

One of the two disciples mentioned in today's Gospel, Andrew, rushes to tell his brother Simon, whom Jesus will call Peter.

Their encounter with Jesus was so powerful, the Pope said, that they remembered the time when it happened for the rest of their lives: “It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.”

Rediscover joy

The Pope urged us to remember our first encounter with the Lord and to renew our enthusiasm by seeking Him anew in prayer and contemplation that can lead us to share our joy with others.

“May Most Holy Mary, the first disciple of Jesus, give us the desire to seek him, the desire to be with him, the desire to proclaim him.”