Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 1:35-42
WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE I WAS A BIOLOGY MAJOR, BUT I WAS FASCINATED BY THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY AS WELL, SO I MINORED IN PHILOSOPHY.  IN MEDICAL SCHOOL I HAD A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, AND I REMEMBER TRYING TO GET HIM TO DISCUSS WITH ME SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD ABOUT THEOLOGY.  I WAS CURIOUS AND WANTED TO SATISFY MY HUNGER FOR KNOWLEDGE.  BUT, EVEN THOUGH HE HAD A DOCTORATE IN THEOLOGY, HE SHOWED NO INTEREST IN ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS.  HE KEPT LEADING ME BACK TO FIGURING OUT WHERE I WAS IN MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND WHAT I NEEDED TO DO TO GROW.  IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO FIGURE OUT THAT THIS WAS A LOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWING STUFF.
TODAY, WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE IN THE GOSPEL OF DIFFICULTIES TRANSLATING SOMETHING FROM GREEK INTO ENGLISH. WHEN JESUS ASKS ANDREW AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE OF JOHN “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?” THEY REPLY, “WHERE ARE YOU STAYING?”  NOW THAT SEEMS LIKE A STRANGE QUESTION.  IF TWO STRANGERS WERE FOLLOWING ME AND ASKED ME THAT QUESTION, I MIGHT BECOME HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT WHY THEY WANTED TO KNOW WHERE I LIVED.  AND EVEN IF JESUS WASN'T PUT OFF BY THEIR QUESTION, HE COULD HAVE JUST SAID, “I LIVE AT 21 FRONT STREET IN CAPARNUM” AND GONE ON.
THE POINT IS, THE DISCIPLES WERE USING A WORD THAT IS TRANSLATED IN OTHER PARTS OF SCRIPTURE AS ABIDE, REMAIN IN, LIVE, ENDURE, AWAIT, CONTINUE – AND ONE OF THE REASONS OLDER TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE USE THE ODD WORD “ABIDE” IS BECAUSE THE GREEK WORD IS NOT EASILY TRANSLATED.  JOHN'S GOSPEL USES THIS WORD OVER AND OVER AGAIN – 69 TIMES.  HE MUST MEAN SOMETHING BY IT, BECAUSE NOWHERE ELSE IN SCRIPTURE DO YOU HAVE THAT WORD USED NEARLY SO OFTEN.  IN THIS PASSAGE ALONE, YOU WOULD HEAR IT THREE TIMES – WHERE DO YOU ABIDE?  AND THEN, “SO THEY WENT AND SAW WHERE JESUS WAS ABIDING, AND THEY ABIDED WITH HIM THAT DAY.   SO MAYBE THE DISCIPLES MEANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN “WHERE ARE YOU STAYING.”  THEY MIGHT HAVE MEANT “WHY ARE YOU THE LAMB OF GOD?” OR “WHAT MAKES YOU TICK, JESUS?”  THEY WANTED THEIR CURIOSITY SATISFIED.  AND JESUS DID NOT GIVE THEM A STRAIGHT ANSWER, HE SAID, “COME AND SEE.”  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I AM ALL ABOUT, YOU CAN ONLY LEARN THIS FIRST-HAND, BY FOLLOWING ME AROUND.”
ALL OF US CATHOLICS SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN SPREADING THE GOSPEL.  MOST OF US TRY TO LIVE OUR GOSPEL VALUES IN OUR LIVES.  UNFORTUNATELY, ALTHOUGH WE TRY TO BE ETHICAL AND AVOID COMMITTING SINS, WE TEND TO BE VERY QUIET ABOUT WHAT MAKES US TICK.  BUT NOW AND THEN, SOMEONE IS CURIOUS, AND ASKS OF US, “WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT STUFF?  WHAT GOOD IS RELIGION?  WHY ARE YOU A CATHOLIC? AND OTHER QUESTIONS ALONG THOSE LINES.  THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, INCLUDING OUR CHILDREN, WHO DON'T KNOW WHY ANYONE WOULD BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE OR SPEND TIME EVERY SUNDAY SITTING IN A PEW AND PARTICIPATING IN AN OLD RITUAL.  THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T SEE WHY ANYONE SHOULD EMBRACE VALUES THAT WE ASSOCIATE WITH OUR CHURCH – BEING PRO-LIFE, LOOKING AFTER THE POOR, THE ELDERLY, THE DISADVANTAGED; GIVING SOME OF OUR MONEY AWAY TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE; FASTING DURING LENT, CELEBRATING EASTER – THE LIST GOES ON.  WE LIVE IN A SECULAR SOCIETY TODAY;  WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, ABOUT 90% OF AMERICANS CLAIMED TO BE AFFILIATED WITH A RELIGION, AND MOST WERE CHRISTIAN, AT LEAST VAGUELY FAMILIAR WITH THE GOSPEL STORY.  TODAY, AMONG THOSE UNDER 30, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO WERE RAISED IN CATHOLIC FAMILIES, THAT NUMBER IS MORE LIKE 50%. AND MANY OF THESE AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY OF JESUS.  BUT THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO SERIOUS TIES TO RELIGION ARE CURIOUS, AND SOME WILL ASK, “WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?” WHERE DO YOU GET ALL THIS?  WHAT IS BEHIND HOW YOU LIVE?”
IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IF WE INVITED THAT KIND OF QUESTION.  IF I SAY GRACE BEFORE MY LUNCH WITH A COLLEAGUE; IF I INVITE SOMEONE TO PRAY WITH ME BEFORE DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT; IF I SPEAK UP WHEN SOMEONE MAKES AN IGNORANT COMMENT ABOUT THE CHURCH, IF I GO OUT OF MY WAY TO DEFEND SOMEONE WHO IS GETTING UNJUST TREATMENT, WE WILL INVITE THOSE QUESTIONS.  AND IF I'M REALLY BOLD, I'LL INVITE QUESTIONS BY ASKING A QUESTION:  WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?  AND WHEN THEY BEGIN TO ASK QUESTIONS OF US, WHAT DO WE DO THEN?
JESUS KNEW THAT ANDREW AND THE OTHER DISCIPLE WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HE HAD TO TEACH THEM, NOT RIGHT THEN.  BUT HE ALSO KNEW THAT THE FIRST STEP WAS TO FORM A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.  AND HE INVITED THEM INTO THAT RELATIONSHIP WHEN HE SAID, “COME AND SEE.”  AND THAT'S A MODEL FOR US AS WELL.  FOR MOST PEOPLE WHO HAVE LITTLE OR NO CONNECTION TO OUR CATHOLIC FAITH, OUR FORMING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM IS THE BRIDGE TO THEM FORMING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, WHICH IS THE GOAL OF EVANGELIZING.
AND BESIDE BEING A BRIDGE FOR THEM, WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE WOULD DO IF THEY SOMEDAY SAID, “I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR FAITH.”  IN THE COURSE OF MY LIFE, I'VE BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND SERVICES IN OTHER CHURCHES; THEY WERE HOPEFUL THAT IF I CAME AND SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON, I'D BECOME ONE OF THEM.  WOULD WE INVITE SOMEONE WHO WAS SERIOUS ABOUT FINDING A FAITH INTO OUR CHURCH?  WOULD THEY BE WELCOMED, WOULD THEY FIND ENTHUSIASM, WOULD THEY SEE A CONGREGATION WHO TRULY ENTERED INTO WORSHIP – WOULD WE PROUDLY SAY TO THEM, “COME AND SEE?”
ONE OF THE STATISTICS THAT CAME OUT OF A RECENT MASSIVE STUDY ON RELIGON IN AMERICA IS THIS:  ON A GIVEN SUNDAY, THERE ARE USUALLY TWO OR THREE PEOPLE WHO COME TO A CATHOLIC MASS OUT OF CURIOSITY; SOME ARE UNCHURCHED, SOME BELONG TO OTHER FAITHS, SOME ARE LAPSED CATHOLICS.  ARE YOU AND I DOING ANYTHING TO WELCOME THESE PEOPLE, TO BEGIN TO BUILD A BRIDGE?  AND ANOTHER STATISTIC.  WHEN YOU STUDY PEOPLE WHO USED TO BE ACTIVE CATHOLICS BUT LEFT THE CHURCH, SOMETIMES TO BECOME ANOTHER KIND OF CHRISTIAN, SOMETIMES TO DROP OUT ENTIRELY, THEY TAKE AN AVERAGE OF TWO YEARS BEFORE MAKING THAT DECISION.  DO WE HAVE THE KIND OF PARISH THAT RECOGNIZES THEM AND MINISTERS TO THEM BEFORE THEY MAKE THAT DECISION?
IF THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS IS NO, THEN PART OF OUR JOB AS EVANGELISTS IS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THINGS.