Come and See!

I used to think that my Mom had superhuman powers. When I would come home from sneaking into a neighbor's pond from a forbidden swim; or when I had gotten reprimanded at school for talking, clowning or disobeying; or when I had stopped to play tag or baseball with friends while on an errand for her to the store; she would always know that I was lying to her when I told her that had not done those things. She would say, "Charles DeWayne Walker, I can tell when you're lying to me!" Now, she may have just been testing my veracity. But I thought that she knew that I had lied to her (which I usually had). I don't know if she could tell my untruth by the expression on my face, or the tone in my voice, or some other give away posture. But, the bad news was I always got caught (evidenced by "time out", grounding, or spanking). And the good news was that I always got caught. In retrospect, it is good news that I got caught by my "superhuman" Mom. If she didn't love me, she would not have cared that I had told the truth or a lie. If she didn't love me, she would not have seen the subtle difference between my honest voice tone and body language and my dishonest expressions. If she didn't love me, I probably would have tried to "lie" myself through life. If she didn't love me, I am definitely sure I would not be the man and the priest I am today.Today I thank God that Mom had "superhuman" listening skills.

Listening seems to be the theme of the Old Testament and Gospel readings for this weekend. Specifically listening to God's invitation to have a life changing relationship with God is the theme of the two Scripture stories. Eli tells Samuel how to listen for God calling to him in the 1st Book of Samuel. Jesus invites His first disciples to come and see where (and how) to live in the Gospel story from St. John. In the Gospel Jesus and John the Baptist's followers enter a conversation. The dialogue is short and seemingly tame:

"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.”
NAB, Revised Edition: John 1: 38-39a

It sounds like my friends and I discussing where we want to go eat supper tonight. ("I don't care. Where do you want to go?") Yet, this conversation is jammed with life changing words with eternal implications. "What do you seek?" "Where do you live?" "Come and See!" This is the conversation that God has with every prospective believer and is at the heart of every prayer with God.

He asks us. "What are you REALLY looking for in life? What is ultimately going to satisfy you?" He knows the answer. And, so do we.

We ask Him. "How do you want me to live? Where do I need to let You live in me? How can I follow You?" The words may be formed by us in as many ways as there are of us. But, that is the question behind every prayer we pray. "Where are you, God?" Again, Jesus tells us later, in the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of John, that He, The Spirit and The Father wish to live in us and us to live in God. So, we have the answer to our prayers. That answer is, "Abide in God!"

The toughest one is the last one, I believe. Jesus invites us all to, "Come and see!" This where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. This part of the dialogue requires action on our part. "Come and see!" means that we have to change, at the very least, some direction we are heading. "Come and see." means going where God wants us to go in life rather than going where we want to go with our lives. "Come and see." means risking God's unknown adventure rather than what we think is safety. "Come and see." means REALLY trusting God.

Do you trust that God loves you and knows you better than Mom, Dad, spouse, sibling, or intimate friend? Are you ready to let go of your plans, ideals and dreams and follow God's dream for you?  After seeing what kind of life and death that His Son and most of His Saints endured (including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom we honor this weekend), why would we want to trust our lives to God? Can we believe that God's reward is worth our risk?

If we believe in the witness of Christ's Resurrection; if we believe that God, Father, Son and Spirit are still actively loving and guiding us individually and in the Church, in the Sacraments, and in the Scriptures; if we believe in the witness and work of millions of saints in our past and present; we can believe that Christ's invitation is worth our risking all for Him.

He calls to us, "Come, and you will see!" The next step is yours!

peace and blessings,
Fr. Chuck