Fr. Richard OMOLADE

At the beginning of the Gospel according to John, once the Baptist pointed out the Lamb of God, some of his disciples began to follow Jesus. The evangelist wrote that two of them followed Jesus and turning back He asked them “What are you looking for?” They in turn asked him “Where do you stay?” and he told them “Come and See.”  They then followed him and stayed with him the rest of the day.

This brief encounter is packed with important lessons for us. As the year slowly rolls on, have we taken time to respond to the question “What are you looking for in life?” Many people do not know and continue to grope as if in darkness. Meaningful life cannot be lived this way. We must know what we want of life and how to accomplish it. Our ability to answer that question: “What are you looking for? May be the difference between success and failure, between joy and sadness and between fulfilment and despair.

From experience, the answer to the deep questions of life are not written down in some books but most found by each person in the way we approach life methodically by applying ourselves to the demands of our life, of our faith and our relationships.

What are you looking for? It is imperative to answer this question before the year gets out of our hands. This deals with setting goals and discerning what is what fighting for and what one should let go, so as to face more important things. It is useless to allow oneself to be dragged all over the place. Focus is therefore important at the start of a project and throughout its execution. We cannot take our eyes off important things and become distracted. But if we do not know what we are looking for, then every spectacle will look fascinating, and we may waste precious time glued to non-essentials.

Come and see is a calculated invitation that only the wise will recognize and accept promptly. There is, indeed, a lot for us to see, to experience because the one who is inviting us is the Lord of all. With him, there is no dull moment, every moment is exciting and transformative. That is why there is no one who has encountered Christ and remained the same, think of Saul turned Paul, or St. Francis of Assisi or Blessed Charles De Foucald. These people, it could be said, came to Jesus, they saw and were transformed. This should be the goal for all believers. Our encounter with Christ should transform us so that we too can say with St. Paul, “I live no longer I, it is Christ that lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

“Come and See” is not just virtual reality. It is an experience so rich that it is wholistic. To be with Christ is to be renewed inwardly, it is to have a change of heart and therefore, a change of life. It is to be liberated and live freely, such that the joy of life is the outcome.

The encounter with Christ, is not just a physical experience, it is also spiritual, because it gives us a taste of the divine. It is an experience that uplifts us, takes us out of ourselves and unites us with the divine. “One day within your court is better than a thousand elsewhere” is not a testimony about physical meeting, but a profession of the greatness, uniqueness and other worthiness of God that leaves us spell bound. Human words will remain insufficient to describe the foretaste of heaven.

Having experience the beauty of God, or the very life of God, would you give it away for anything? No wonder, the Gospel tells us that the two disciples stayed with Jesus that day. They stayed to savour the delight freely given to them. They stayed to be filled with the inner life of God, they stayed to comprehend as much as lay in their power, the mystery of God revealed to them in that encounter. They stayed and we too are called to come and see!

“Come and See” must continue to echo in the hearts of our people and the obligation to send this message out is the task for all Christians. Jesus is there waiting for us, and we who have experienced Him must go back into the world and tell the good news of Christ’s presence in the world. Let us invite others to come and see because we are sure they will encounter Christ Himself.

Life is a challenging enterprise for many people, and we have to make sense of it all. This we cannot do by ourselves. We need the soothing presence of God in our life, and we find it in our encounter with Jesus. As soon as possible let us seek the Lord in the midst of our busy schedule. Try and go with Him and see what He has to offer and there is no doubt that a new vista of experience and of joy awaits all seekers.