Me vicit

01-12-2020Weekly Reflection

In the baptism of Jesus, John was heard saying look “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” The following scene, as John was with two of his disciples, Jesus passed by and John again alluded to Him, “Behold the Lamb of God.”

Hearing John saying this for the second time about Jesus, something clicked in the minds of his two disciples. It was as if John was pointing and leading them to Jesus, and they started following Jesus, they started their journey as disciples of Jesus. Jesus noticed them and asked, the first words that Jesus uttered in the Gospel of John, “What are you looking for? The same question that probably each disciple, and would be disciple, should confront. Thinking that he was simply like one of the teachers of the Law, and not the awaited Messiah they said, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? The calling of the first two disciples then happened, Jesus' answer to their question was both an invitation and a promise, “come and you will see.” The disciples of John “stayed” with Jesus the entire day until four in the afternoon. And they experienced a “veni, vidi, me vicit” moment (I came, I saw, I was conquered).

The Greek translation of stayed (meno) had a deep theological significance in the Gospel of John. In many other places in John, the same verb (meno) is translated as “remain.” In Jn. 14:10, 15:10, remain was the powerful word used by Jesus to describe His intimate relationship with the Father, a Divine Communion. The same communion into which, Jesus calls His disciple, intimacy with Him and the Father. Me vicit, when the two disciples saw where He was staying, they were conquered, they realized His eternal dwelling is with the Father.

Andrew was one of the two disciples that experienced a me vicit” moment, his heart burning, we see him and many of the first disciples of Jesus, bring people to Him. Looking for his brother Simon, he excitedly narrated to him his encounter with the Messiah. Andrew boldly proclaimed to Simon, “we have found the Messiah” and brought him to Jesus. This is one of the signs of true discipleship, the encounter with the Lord effects so much joy, one has to share and bring others to experience the “come and you will see.” For any Jew to hear this bold proclamation, its meaning is clear, the excitement is justified, God has come to honor His promised to Israel through this man Andrew, who claims Jesus to be the Messiah.

Simon came, saw and was also conquered, he experienced the veni, vidi, me vicit moment. Jesus looked at Simon and declared, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas.” Cephas is the Aramaic word for rock, the Greek equivalent is Petrus, from where the name Peter came. Like many of the Patriarchs, Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5), Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32:29), the change of name meant, that Peter has an important role to play in the plan of God. Cephas the rock, he will be the foundation of the Church that Jesus will establish (Mt. 16:18). Thus, at the end of the Gospel of John, we heard Jesus entrusting His Church to Peter, a unique position and role as the good shepherd (Jn. 21:1519).