Today is the second Sunday in ordinary time, the first Sunday after the end of the Christmas season. We’re going to hear two conversion stories in a row on these next two Sundays. Today, we hear about two disciples of John the Baptist who are intrigued by Jesus' identity. Jesus calls these men to follow him as his disciples. Next Sunday, we’ll hear about four men who are called to leave their lives as fishermen in order to follow Jesus.
“Come and see” – this is Jesus’ invitation in today’s Gospel. Since the days of the first apostles, Jesus’ followers have been witnessing to their faith and have been inviting others to join them. John the Baptist himself witnessed to two of his own disciples by 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 Son of God, and through this belief, that we might come to have new life in him. “Come and see” is the invitation we receive. Like this invitation that Jesus extends to us, we are called to witness and invite others to the faith. The act of witnessing and inviting is exemplified by Andrew’s actions in the Gospel. He hears the witness of John the Baptist, then visits where Jesus is staying, remaining with him that day. Andrew searches out his brother, telling him with great excitement: “We have found the Messiah,” bringing him to the faith.
As we hear this conversion story today, perhaps we think: “Well, today’s Gospel really doesn’t pertain to me. I’m already a follower of Jesus. I already know him. I already practice my faith." But, perhaps we’re called to look at our faith today to see how we can strengthen it, to live it out more profoundly, to better witness our faith to others. All of us in the modern world need to look at all the 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, expecting ourselves and all Christians to follow all of these rules to the letter of the law, but in a very legalistic way. Or, to the other extreme, perhaps we think that since we believe in God, since we’re baptized into new life in Christ, that we do whatever we want to do and still be saved. Once saved always saved, right? Or perhaps we just go through the motions of our faith without taking risks or chances, without really trying to discern God’s specific will for us, without going out on a limb and allowing our faith to have a true impact in our own life and in the lives of others. Maybe one of these descriptions point to the type of conversion we need today.
In modern America, many think of themselves as spiritual, but not religious. In our bookstores and libraries, there are hundreds of books about spirituality and self-help, about 12-step programs and improving 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 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.” We are all disciples on our journey of redemption and salvation together. As the Church, we are the body of Christ here on earth. Perhaps we in America need more than an individual conversion to Jesus, but rather a conversion to the Church, to the communion of Christ, to a deeper understanding of the Church our faith, and our participation in the Body of Christ.
We have our parish of St Jude in Pearl, but within our parish boundaries, we also have Whitfield State Hospital and the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, places where there are Catholics and where we as a parish have been called to minister to the faithful. Since I have been here at St Jude, we now have four masses a month at the correctional facility, and we are going to hopefully start masses out at Whitfield soon. Reaching out to those around us are examples of what it means to live as 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?
No comments:
Post a Comment