Today’s Gospel reminds us that being a disciple of Jesus means that we are to grow by Faith to become witnesses for him. Bearing witness to Christ is an active, not passive, lifetime enterprise. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus at a distance, any more than one can be a distant lover. We are invited to “Come and See.” The essence of our witnessing is to state what we have seen and believed and then to invite others to “come and see” our experience of Jesus.
As with Andrew and John, Faith begins with our responding to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see.” We tell others about good restaurants, barbers, optometrists, etc. Why isn’t there the same fervor over inviting and encouraging people to come and participate in our Church activities? If we are not willing to invite others into this experience, what does that say about our experiences with Christ and with our Church? Often, we hesitate to do so because of the false notion that talking about religion is taboo in our culture or that religion is a private matter and shouldn’t be shared with others or that we don’t have much of a personal Faith to share or that our worship services would not be appealing to others. One of the differences that Faith should make in our lives is the desire that others – especially those without a religious Faith – might also share in and benefit from the relationship God offers through Christ. Do they?
Are you willing to share your faith with those who do not know Christ!
Have a blessed week.
Fr Tom