In today’s gospel, when John the Baptist saw Jesus walking by, John pointed Jesus out to his disciples by exclaiming: Behold, the Lamb of God and the disciples followed him. They followed Jesus. They wanted to know who he really is. So they asked him, “Master, where are you staying?” Jesus did not give them a quick answer, but invited them: Come and see! Or rather, come and you will see! “Come” is so powerful… the text says they stayed with him that day. The disciples spent time with the Lord, they listened to Him. They learned from Jesus. They discovered that Jesus is all they were looking for. They discovered that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior. They had personal encounter with Jesus. Based on their own experience with Jesus, one of them, Andrew went to find his brother, Simon and tell him, we have found the Messiah. Then he brought him to Jesus.
We have personal experience of Jesus. We got this personal experience of Jesus in our daily lives – through the meditative reading and study of the Bible, through personal and family prayers and through the Sacraments, especially by participation in the Eucharistic celebration. Since we have encountered the Lord, we have to share what we have seen, heard, experienced and believed that we have encountered the Messiah and bring them to Jesus, to our Church activities. Like Andrew who went to tell his brother about Jesus, the first people we have to evangelize are our families and relatives. We know them already: A friend struggling with addiction needs to hear us say, “Turn your life over to Jesus Christ.” A married couple coming apart at the seams needs to hear us say, “Turn your life over to Jesus Christ.” The young child starting out, the lonely teenager, and the struggling parent, all need to hear us say, “Turn your life over to Jesus Christ. And the basic way is to pray together as family. Maybe to pray the rosary. Maybe to pray in evening.
We have found the Messiah. It is time to share with our brothers and sisters how Jesus helped us to overcome our resentment, our anger. It is time to tell our friends how prayers help us to become who we are. How the word of God helps us to forgive, to detach from material things, to put the needs of others first. Tell them how your faith changes the way to see others. Tell them how the Eucharist gives you peace and joy to see the beauty of God in each person. Young people, it is time to text your friends and tell them how faith in God keeps you away from alcohol and drugs. Tell them how prayers keep your family united. This is the new way to evangelize people close to us. And God will take care of the rest.
Today I want to give you a homework. It is not easy but it is not impossible. Like Andrew brought Simon Peter, his brother to Jesus, I want you to bring someone to the Church next Sunday. It could be your wife, or your husband. It could be your brother or sister. It could be your children or nephews. It could be your neighbors or friends. If we need more room for them, we will celebrate Mass outside. Tell them how the Eucharist, the Church makes you happy because you have found the Messiah, the treasure. And God will take care of the rest.
