The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today explore some of the ways we are directed to find what we are looking for in our relationship with God.
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| A nudge to follow |
The First Letter of John identifies a dualism between good and evil.
* [3:9] A habitual sinner is a child of the devil, while a child of God, who by definition is in fellowship with God, cannot sin. Seed: Christ or the Spirit who shares the nature of God with the Christian.1
Psalm 98 expresses praise for the righteousness and equity in judgement of God.
In the Gospel from John, the testimony of John the Baptist presents Jesus to others.
* [1:36] John the Baptist’s testimony makes his disciples’ following of Jesus plausible.3
The Daily Virtue website urges us to “Become the Song You Would Sing”.
St Augustine says “Listen to me: Sing a new song to the Lord. You tell me that you are already singing. Sing on, I say, sing on; I can hear you. But try to make sure that your life does not contradict the words that your tongue sings. Sing with your voice and with your heart, sing with your mouth and with your deeds […]. You ask what praises you ought to sing: His praise resounds in the assembly of the faithful. The praise of the song comes from the singer himself. If you wish to give praise to God, become the song that you would sing. You yourselves will give him praise if you lead holy lives.”
Angela Maynard comments how, in today’s gospel, Andrew and John, two of the disciples get to know Jesus.
This is a pretty good example of the power of evangelization. Andrew gets to know Jesus, introduces him to his brother, and Simon Peter not only becomes a follower, but eventually a leader in the church.5
Bishop Robert Barron comments that one reason that people today have such a difficult time appreciating Jesus is that we have become, effectively, Marcionites (the conviction that Jesus should be interpreted in abstraction from the Old Testament). To really understand the Christological language of John, we need to understand the great story of Israel.
In John’s prologue, the passage before today’s reading, we read that the Word of God’s covenantal love, which was addressed to Abraham, Moses, and David, has become flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is the covenant in person. But throughout Israel’s history, the covenant between God and humanity is always accompanied by sacrifice.
That brings us to today’s reading, where John the Baptist offers one of the most important interpretive keys of the New Testament: Jesus will play the role of the sacrificial lambs offered in the temple, and through a sacrifice, take away the sins of the world.4
Cursillo is a movement of the Church, which aims to help those in the church understand their individual callings to be Christian leaders. The movement advocates that we bring a friend to Christ. A staff writer at the Nassau Guardian explains how the Anglican Diocesan Renewal Program involves Cursillo.
Don Schwager quotes both Saint Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom (349-407 AD) on the attraction we have to Jesus.
"Come and see" is the Lord's invitation for each one of us to discover the joy of friendship and communion with the One who made us in love for love. Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator and Redeemer, who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him: "If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn’t the very One who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for you to turn back?" It is God who initiates and who draws us to himself. Without his mercy and help we could not find him on our own.6
The first disciples longing for the Messiah, by John Chrysostom (349-407 AD)
"Andrew, after having stayed with Jesus and after having learned what he did, did not keep the treasure to himself but hurries and races to his brother in order to let him know the good things Jesus has shared with him. But why hasn’t John mentioned what they talked about? How do we know this is why they 'stayed with him'?... Observe what Andrew says to his brother, 'We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' You see how, in a short time, he demonstrates not only the persuasiveness of the wise teacher but also his own longing that he had from the beginning. For this word, 'we have found,' is the expression of a soul that longs for his presence, looking for his coming from above, and is so ecstatic when what he is looking for happens that he hurries to tell others the good news. This is what brotherly affection, natural friendship, is all about when someone is eager to extend a hand to another when it comes to spiritual matters. Also see how he adds the article, for he does not say 'Messiah' but 'the Messiah.' They were expecting the Christ who would have nothing in common with the others." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 19.1)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:35-42 notes the power of just a word, a suggestion, a nudge. That’s what John the Baptist gave Andrew and his friend. But it was all they needed to take the step to look for Jesus.
Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out some of the challenging dualism in the 1st Letter Of John. He explores the dual meaning in Aramaic of “lamb” and the possibility that John the Evangelist portrayed Peter as “hardheaded”. Friar Jude comments that the Fourth Gospel advocates Love triumph over law and rules.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes we expect people to show up at our church doors fully transformed and holy before they can be welcomed in. But metanoeite, or change of consciousness, can only come with time. Patience is the very shape of love. Without it, religion is merely about enforcing laws and requirements.
Anything called “Good News” needs to reveal a universal pattern that can be relied upon, not just clannish or tribal patterns that might be true on occasion. This is probably why Christianity’s break with Judaism was inevitable, although never intended by either Jesus or Paul. Both Jesus and Paul were good Jews who thought they were reforming Judaism. By the early second century, Christians were already calling themselves “catholics” or “the universals.” At the front of their consciousness was a belief that God is leading all of history somewhere larger and broader and better for everyone. Christianity cannot be bound by ethnicity or nationality. This puts it in essential conflict with any group that wants to domesticate the message for its own “patriotic” purposes.7
We see righteousness, songs of praise, nudges from friends, and the testimony of Church leaders to be the invitation to “Come and See” what we are looking for.
References
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(n.d.). 1 John chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/3
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(n.d.). Daily Virtue – Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ – St Jerome. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://dailyvirtue.net/
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(n.d.). John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/1
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(2018, January 14). Behold the Lamb of God Daily Virtue. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://dailyvirtue.net/behold-the-lamb-of-god-2/
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 4, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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7
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(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01
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