The scripture extract John 1:35-42, from the beginning of St John’s Gospel, describes the calling of the first disciples. The context of this passage is the journey the disciples of John the Baptist have already been on before they meet Jesus. They have just come from Bethany on the far side of the river Jordan where John was baptising. They listened attentively to John as he spoke with the Pharisees telling them ‘I baptise with water but standing among you – unknown to you – is the one who is coming after me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal’. John the Baptist was clearly pointing the way to the Saviour – the Lamb of God, the Chosen One.
Now these same disciples are with John on the road as Jesus goes past. As John looks towards Jesus he says to to them ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ When they encounter Jesus he asks them ‘What do you want’ and in response to their question ‘Where do you live’ he invites them to ‘Come and See’. They saw and where he lived and stayed with him for the rest of the day. We are told that one of these disciples was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, and that the next morning Andrew took Simon to Jesus who declared, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.’
Jesus continually invites us to follow him. He asks us what our hopes and desires are in life. He wants to wants to have a conversation with every person and he meets us on the journey of life wherever we are. He loved us first and invites us into his loving presence just as we are, so that he can nourish us with his joy, peace, and love. Jesus invites us to ‘Come and See’ in many ways. It could be by spending some time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church; or by entering more deeply into the Word of God and pondering what it may be saying to us in the context of our everyday lives; or simply by being conscious of his presence in nature and the world around us. Spending some time with Jesus in prayer gives us peace and renews us in the gift of his unconditional love, so that we can respond to his invitation to be his witnesses. Our faith is a wonderful gift. When we share it with others we can be beacons of light and hope and to all whom we encounter.
