Word to the Wise
Friday, January 4, 2013 - Jan. 4 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious
[1 John 3:7-10 and John 1:35-42]John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. 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 he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. [John]
Words are important, especially when they find their way into writing! We all have favorite words that we call on in conversation and writing to help us express ourselves. Sometimes these words take on more than superficial convenience. They may acquire a deeper significance and describe more than what appears to the eye, at least initially. We encounter this in the Gospel of John where such ordinary words as "seeing," "following" and "staying" describe an inner path to faith. Andrew and his companion "hear" the words of John the Baptist and "follow" Jesus, who challenges them to "come and see." They go and "see" and they "stay (remain)" with him. Then Andrew goes and finds Simon and brings him to Jesus! This is a different story from the one we have in the other gospels of an encounter on the shore of the sea and a miraculous catch of fish. (In John, that shows up at the end, after the resurrection!). But John has his own agenda and tells us of the process of conversion that begins with the first disciples and continues to our own day.
If we recall the stories in Matthew and Luke, we see a similar thing happening. The shepherds and Magi receive a "sign," and they go and see and stay and then return to tell others. This liturgical season of Christmas/Epiphany magnifies the process of coming to faith and proclaiming the Good News. We may have to find words of our own from time to time, but we can start with the gospels. We can point to Jesus and invite others to "come and see!" We may need to do this to ourselves as well and renew our own discovery. AMEN
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