Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" — which translated means Teacher —,
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" — which translated means Teacher —,
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Today’s gospel speaks of a remarkable conversation. After hearing the Baptist's declaration, Cephas and a certain nameless disciple followed Jesus until he turned and asked them, "What are you looking for?”
He asks each of us the same question as we start a new year. What are you looking for in your church? Your job, career, or profession? Your retirement? Your life with your family, and yourself? What are you looking for when you go to God'?
The disciples answered his question with a question, "Where do you stay?" and he replied with an invitation, "Come and see."
We cannot know the Lord or where he lives, where he came from, or where he is going unless we stay with him. Nor can we know who we are unless we live with him.
Our life is a life in prayer, or it means nothing at all. Our homes are houses of prayer. Jesus is the One who comes from God and yet remains with and in God; and those who stay with him also live in God.
To know the Lord we must live with him. There are many people who eagerly tell us about God, the Lord, the Church, heaven, purgatory, hell, and any number of other religious topics. But their opinions are no more than speculation for they do not live with the Lord. They do not sit at Mary's table or visit his home in Nazareth. When he asks them, “What are you looking for?” they might ask the Lord, "Where do you stay?" But they would be satisfied if he said, "I’m from Nazareth." It's an interesting factoid for them, something to show off in front of friends, "I know where the Lord lives! I know all about God!"
In today’s gospel reading, two disciples of John the Baptist followed the Lord. The first was named Andrew. But who was the second? We don’t hear about him again until the Last Supper but he is never named in the Gospel. He is called “the one whom Jesus loved.” He reclined next to the Lord at the Last Supper and rested his head on Jesus’s chest.
He went with the Lord’s mother to Calvary where they stood at the foot of his cross. He received Mary into his home. The following Sunday, hearing that the Lord’s tomb was empty he ran with Peter to the cemetery. The Gospel tells us he stood back and Peter entered first and then went in. He saw and believed.
More than just thinking that Jesus was raised from the dead; this nameless disciple believed that Jesus is the Son of God, and he is the savior of the world.
Who is he? We call him Saint John, but that misses the point. He is you and me. He is everyone who lives in his Sacred Heart, everyone who rests their heads on this chest, everyone who follow him to Jerusalem and Calvary; everyone who arrives at his empty tomb on Easter ahead of Saint Peter.
The bishops of the United States have urged us to renew our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. We should spend time with our God in the Church. We can hope and pray that we might reopen our churches soon, so that we can visit the Lord anytime, day or night, in the tabernacle. Some parishes rely on a corps of volunteers to maintain a continual watch on the Sacrament as it’s displayed in the monstrance. But we didn’t need that practice when we could trust our children and neighbors not to vandalize our sanctuaries. We must renew that practice of visiting the Church on the way to and from work, school, and shopping. We should be free and welcome to visit the Church when our hearts are troubled with any distress at eight pm, midnight, or three am.
In the meanwhile we pray in our homes; they are also our sanctuaries where the Lord lives with us. The familiar signs in our church – the crucifix, statues, pictures – occupy our sacred places at home also. When anyone enters our homes they should immediately see that this is a Catholic home, a house of God. This is how we practice devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
As this new year begins -- a year of politics and hard choices -- we will live with the Lord in Nazareth and Jerusalem. We will stay with the Lord on Calvary. We will go with Peter and the Beloved Disciple to the tomb to find that he is not there. He has been raised from the dead.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.