[1]Each Sunday as I go to Annunciation to serve, I stop at the
grotto to briefly pray. This past Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, when I
looked at Mary my prayer was different. I sensed a strong desire to obtain the same
intimate relationship she has with Jesus. This prayer has stayed with me as I
continue to contemplate what a pregnant Mary experienced. How much more
intimate can you get than to carry the Son of God within you! Mary chose this
path, chose to believe, chose to trust, and chose to say “yes” to God’s plan.
In the
Gospel of John, John the Baptist points Andrew and another disciple to Jesus.
After a brief dialogue, Andrew is convinced Jesus is the Messiah, and he, in
turn, finds his brother Simon (Peter) and brings him to Jesus (Jn 1:35-43). In Matthew, Simon (Peter) and Andrew have no preparation
for being called. Jesus simply invites them to become his disciples. The
comment, “I will make you fishers of men” implies that they will be actively engaged in Jesus’
mission and they will learn to be as effective in drawing people to the gospel as they were in landing fish. They too, developed an
intimate relationship with Jesus that started with their “yes” to believe, to trust, and to follow Him.[2]
There’s been a consistent cry by some in the
Church to lift the dispensation for Sunday Mass attendance. It’s as if some in
the Church believe that by rule of law, fear of mortal sin, or just good ole
fashion Catholic guilt can force people back into church for their own good.
I don’t think it works that way. I don’t
think it ever worked that way. For years, even before COVID, people were
choosing to leave the Church. The chief reason, the church had become irrelevant
to their lives. It’s no different than the loss of an intimate spousal relationship.
All too often the two, who once had a seemingly intimate relationship, just
drift apart, the love that fueled the relationship is lost for a host of
reasons.
The way to draw people to encourage the desire
for an intimate relationship with Jesus, the Christ, and the only way others
can make this choice, is if they see the Christ in us. Advent is a season of
preparation, preparing ourselves, to welcome the Christ within, which manifests
in our behaviors of hope, love, joy, and peace.
The way I see it. The desire I felt before Mary, the desire to have an intimate relationship with her Son can’t be forced, it must be chosen. We must choose to make a personal commitment to be united in a community of faith, choose to hear, receive, and put into practice the Word of God, and choose to take into our bodies, the very body and blood, soul and divinity of our Lord. Let us not stop there! Acknowledge, we are now to be the “fishers of men” we must be the ones actively engaged in Jesus’ mission. When others see our joy, rooted in this intimate relationship, as living tabernacles, when they can see the Christ in us, lived in our daily lives, it becomes contagious, this is what draws people to the desire to choose a life in Christ.
[1] Scripture (NABRE), Romans 10:9-18; Matthew 4:18-22.
[2] Weekday HomilyHelps, Exegesis by Dr. Barbara
Leonhard, OSF.
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