Sunday, January 14, 2024

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, January 14, 2024

(I Samuel 3:3-10,19; I Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20; John 1:35-42)

Of all the titles we hear for Jesus, “Lamb of God” may be the strangest. We think of Jesus as a shepherd, not as a lamb. However, in today's gospel John the Baptist uses this title to point out that Jesus is going to be sacrificed to fulfill God's plan of salvation. If John, through this comment, does not explain everything that Jesus is, neither do the many people today who want to recognize him only as a “great teacher” or a “holy man” understand who Jesus is.

Andrew and his companion in the gospel do not care how much their understanding is lacking when they turn to Jesus with John's recommendation. They think of him only as a rabbi or teacher.  Maybe it's the same for some of us. Even if we do not fully understand Jesus, we seek him because our parents or our friends have recommended him to us.

Jesus does not leave us in the dark for long. He challenges us along with the two disciples, “What are you looking for?” This is not a simple question like, what address are you looking for? Rather, it is a question about our deepest hopes in life. What do we want above all? Some will respond, “health”; others will say “fame,” “pleasure,” or “money.” But the wise, knowing how all things change, will respond, “God.” Only God is good, just, and compassionate always. He alone can be counted on for the means to sustain ourselves in good times and bad.

Jesus responds to Andrew and his companion with an invitation to believe in him. He says, “Come and see.” This response is similar to his invitation in Matthew's Gospel, “Come to me, all you who labor…” He wants us to put our trust in him and his way of life. By saying that we are to “see,” Jesus is suggesting that we perceive reality with spiritual sight and not just physical sight. That is, that we have the faith to accept life as a journey that ends with God. In the end God will judge us as worthy of being accepted into his eternity or not.

Evidently Andrew's experience with Jesus is enlightening. The first thing he does after his visit with Jesus is tell his brother Simon that he has found the “Messiah.” Notice how his appreciation of Jesus has grown from “lamb of God” to “teacher” to “Messiah.” Now he recognizes Jesus as the “son of God” that the prophets announced as the one who will lead Israel to instruct the entire world how to live in peace and justice. It is the same concept that we have in mind when we talk about “Christ the King.”

When Jesus meets Simon, he gives him another name. It is “Simon Peter,” that is, “Simon, the rock”, who will provide stability and firmness to the community that he is founding. Of course, that community is the Church, the New Israel, which continues Jesus’ mission of instructing the world in the ways of peace. Like Simon, all of us should see ourselves as being gifted by Christ with a new name that designates the role we are to carry out in the Church. We can discern in prayer what name Christ gives us and what he expects of us. Perhaps he calls us “prof” if our role is to educate others in the faith, or “charity” if our role is to help those in need. There are names with roles for everyone.

Jesus, the Messiah and King, calls each of us to "come and see." Perhaps in the past we have not listened to his voice. Let us take a few minutes today in prayer to make it clear to him that he is the one we want most of all. We can ask him in turn to clarify the name and role that he has for us.