“Come,” he replied, “and you will see” - Sunday Gospel Reflection

Second Sunday of the Year B

- John 1, 35-42 – 

Believe in Jesus

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.  When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.  Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter.)

Two disciples, on the instructions of John, begin to follow Jesus. For some time they walk behind him in silence. There has been no real contact. Suddenly Jesus turns to them and asks a crucial question: “What do you want? What are you looking for from me?

They answer with another question: Rabbi, where do you live? What’s the secret of your life? Where does your strength come from? What is the meaning of your life? Jesus replies: “Come and see”. Find out for yourselves. Don’t look for information elsewhere. Come, stay with me. You will discover who I am and how I can change your lives. This little dialogue can shed more light on the essentials of Christian faith than long complicated discourses. In short, what is important to be a Christian?

In the first place, it is “to seek”. When one does not seek anything in life and is satisfied with getting along or having a good time, it is not possible to meet with Jesus. The best way not to understand anything about the Christian Faith is not to have any interest in living rightly.

The important thing is not to look for something but to seek someone. Do not discard anything. If one day the person of Jesus “touches” you, it is time to let him find you by dropping your defenses and reservations.  Forget your convictions and doubts, doctrines and views. You are not asked to become religious or pious; only to come to know him better. 

It is not a matter of knowing a lot about Jesus, but to empathize with him, to make your own his basic attitudes, and to find out for yourself that relating to him does you good, revives your spirit, and imbues your life with strength and hope . When this happens you begin to understand how little you believed in him and how badly you understood almost everything. But what’s crucial in being a Christian is to try to live as he lived even though we fall far short:

·         to believe in what he believed in 

·         to give importance to what he gave importance to

·         to take interest in what he took interest in

·         to see life as he saw it

·         to treat others as he treated them

·         to listen to, accept, and accompany others the way he did

·         to trust God as he did

·         to pray as he did

·         to transmit hope as he did.

What do you feel when you try to live life this way? Isn’t this learning to live life?

- Translated by Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza S.J.