Friday, January 6, 2012

1/15/2012 – Homily - Second Sunday ordinary time - Cycle B – John 1:35-42 (Lectionary 65)


       Today is the second Sunday in ordinary time, the first Sunday that we are celebrating mass together after our observance of the Christmas season.  We are going to hear two conversion stories in a row on these next two Sundays in ordinary time, hearing about how Jesus calls us to discipleship in different ways.  Today, we hear about how two of the disciples of John the Baptist are intrigued by Jesus and his identity, how they are called to become followers of Jesus when they see him walking by.  Next Sunday, we will hear about four men who are called to leave their work as fishermen in order to follow Jesus. 
         “Come and see” – this is what Jesus invites these men to do in today’s Gospel.   Since the days of those first disciples, the followers of Jesus have been witnessing to their faith and have been inviting others to come join them.  We see John the Baptist himself witnessing to two of his own disciples, calling Jesus “the Lamb of God”.  By doing so, John expands their view of who Jesus really is.  In fact, near the end of the Gospel of John, the author of this Gospel states that this witness and these signs have been recorded here in the Gospel in order that we may come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God, and through this belief, that we might come to have new life in him.  “Come and see” is the invitation we also receive.  Like this invitation that Jesus extends, we as believers are called to witness and invite others to the faith, too. This act of witnessing and inviting is exemplified by Andrew’s actions in today’s Gospel.  He hears the witness of John the Baptist, he then goes with Jesus to where he is staying, and he stays with Jesus that day.  Andrew searches out his brother, Simon Peter, telling him with great excitement – “We have found the Messiah!”  Andrew brings his brother to Jesus.  He is so excited about sharing his new found faith with others.
         As we hear about the conversion stories of these first disciples, perhaps we are thinking, “Well, today’s Gospel story really doesn’t pertain to me.  I’m already a follower of Jesus. It’s not like I don’t know him or don’t already practice my faith in my own way.  But perhaps we are called to look at our faith today and see how we can strengthen it, how we can live it out more fully, how our faith can serve as a witness to others. All of us in the modern world today need to look at the different ways in which we are called to conversion. Perhaps we are the believer who is entrenched in a kind of religious legalism, in which we look at our faith as a check list of rules and commandments, expecting ourselves and all Christians to follow all of these rules to the letter of the law, in a very legalistic, rigid way.  Or, to the other extreme, perhaps we think that since we believe in God, since we’re baptized and a part of his Church, that we can sort of do whatever we want to do and still be saved.  Or perhaps we just go through the motions of our faith without taking any risks or chances, without really trying to discern God’s specific will for us in our lives, without going out on a limb and really allowing our faith to have a true impact in our own life and in the lives of others.  Maybe one of these descriptions is the type of conversion we need today.
         If you look at modern America, most people in our society think of themselves as rather spiritual in their approach to life.  Search the books that are found in our bookstores and libraries today; there are literally hundreds of books written about spirituality and self-help, about 12-step programs and improving our lives.  Yet, there are so many people out there who are afraid to make a spiritual commitment, who see religion as irrelevant to our lives.  Even as a priest, I have people tell me that they want to practice Christianity in isolation, that they don’t need the Church, that they can do it on their own.  But, from the very beginning, when Jesus called those men to be his disciples, he shows us how our faith is to be lived in community, how it is not just “me and God,” but all of us as Christ’s disciples on our journey of redemption and salvation together.  And as the Church, we are the body of Christ here on earth.  So, perhaps what we as a society in America need is not individual conversions to Jesus, but rather conversion to the Church, to the communion of Christ, to a deeper understanding of the Church and our faith and in our participation in the Body of Christ. 
         You know, pretty regularly now, we have been going out to the Green House to have mass each Friday afternoon, and we have been going out to the Blake assisted living home in Ridgeland every couple of months to have mass out there as well.  We go beyond the boundaries of our physical church buildings here in Yazoo City to celebrate mass with our brothers and sisters who cannot come to mass here with us on Sunday mornings, to show our love and care for them, to show that we are all in this together.  And I go to out to celebrate mass or to have Bible studies with the prisoners in our area on a regular basis as well, because many of them are searching for God and we in the Catholic Church are one of the few places that are reaching out to them.  To me, these are examples of what it means to live out the Body of Christ, to witness our faith with others.
         So, as we enter ordinary time once again in the liturgical year, marking an end to the Christmas season, as we hear about those first disciples who chose to follow Jesus, may we look at our own lives and at the journey of faith we are all on.  Jesus asked these men to come and see for themselves.  What do we need to look for, what type of conversion do we need, and how do we need to witness to others as we continue on our own journey of faith?  

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