“Where did you first meet?” This is a good question for a couple planning their marriage. It might have been on a blind date or in a pub or in school or university. More recently, it may have been online. No matter how, such a decision begins with a quest – for a friendship or relationship. The quest is filled with questions, and the questions gradually bring discovery.
Life is full of quests, children play “hide and seek”, we read or watch mysteries, we wonder how or why things happen in the way they do. All learning involves questions. And even when we settle on an answer to a question, we discover something that leads to more questions. This is especially true of our relationships and particularly our closest ones. No matter how close the relationship, we can never know another person fully. There will always be more to discover. This is actually the great blessing of all good friendships. They are living, dynamic and if healthy, they are continually growing. As they do, they are life-giving to us.
This is true of our faith as well. Christian faith is, in fact a relationship with God and with the Jesus who brings us to God. We can see this in the Gospel of John (John 1:35-42). The story relates how the first disciples came to meet Jesus. John the Baptist points out Jesus to several of his own followers. They are curious and begin to follow Jesus. When Jesus sees them, he asks them what they are seeking. They ask a simple question: “Where are you staying?” In response, Jesus answers: “Come and see”.
This amazing little account is the story of us all as disciples. Some how we are placed in an encounter with Jesus. For most of us, it is the result of birth, our parents were Catholic Christians and they set us on this journey of faith. For others, the encounter is the result of many life experiences and the people whom they met over time. Not matter what, the initial encounter over the years will bring many questions and they involve a willingness to “Come and see.” A real and mature faith is constantly growing. It is alive and is life-giving to us. Like those first disciples, ours is a call to ask our questions, seek the meaning of Jesus’s message and mission, and ultimately take on the mission to share Good News with other and our world.
Our baptism, like that of Jesus is more than an isolated event or moment in our lives. It is the beginning of a life-long journey in which we discover the whole meaning of our lives. If it is to accomplish this, it calls for a commitment to live the message that Jesus gave us. He becomes both our brother and our mentor, our leader and our companion along the way. Perhaps most wonderfully, we have received a call to live with love and compassion for all. We do so, in a community of disciples, fellow believers whose aim is to bring peace and justice to the world in which we live.
Reflection Questions
Who are some of those who invited me to “come and see”.
Who might have been invited by me?
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