“What do you want?”
Bulletin for the week of January 14, 2024, 2nd Sunday B
After the beautiful celebrations of Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Family, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I imagine that our hearts are filled with what is most beautiful in the world and especially in heaven. Good! Let us take this opportunity to relive all these moments, in inner silence, while giving thanks for starting another year so wonderfully.
On this Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of what we call ordinary time, the texts are nonetheless extraordinary. After much prayer and reflection, the Lord spoke to me, almost out loud: “Listen well, say nothing, listen to me. I have called you, and I call you again. How will you answer…?” Let us listen to this call that we have already heard, perhaps long ago, and answer selflessly: “Speak, Lord… I am listening. Speak again, Lord, I am listening with an even more open heart.” Here I am, Lord, I have come to do your bidding. And this applies to all the faithful.
In the Gospel, Saint John tells us that John the Baptist said the following when he saw Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God.” The word for lamb in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, also means “servant.” Here, we are far from the well-known hymn: “Le voici l’Agneau si doux!” [Behold the sweet Lamb] Instead, we are presented with the image of a victorious warrior covered in spilled blood.
“What do you want?” These are the first words spoken by Jesus when he appears in the Gospel of John. This question is directed at all those who want to follow Jesus, including myself today. A moment of grace if ever there was one, where the answer is what our faith, our hope and our charity are made of. A moment in which we can ask ourselves where we find Christ in our lives: we can find Him in the Scriptures, in our brothers and sisters, in our prayers, in the sacraments. Let us admire Jesus’s response: “Come, and you will see.” Jesus is full of respect. He does not impose anything, does not force anyone. He gives us the gift of His closeness, of His unique presence. For me, this is a Sunday for giving thanks.
Let us give thanks to the Lord for the grace he grants us, we who live in this parish, to be a community of prayer, to be those who live with Him. The Gospel this day invites us to remember that our mission as baptized disciples of Jesus is not to persuade as many people as we can nor to force anyone to join us. We must share the joy, the richness and the fruitfulness of our meeting with Christ. Let us be witnesses, evoking the presence of the Lord, seeking out the best ways to welcome him and making sure we do not try to replace Christ or others. “Andrew first went to find his brother, Simon, and told him ‘We have found the Messiah.’ Andrew brought him to Jesus.”