John the Baptist tells two of his disciples, “There is the Lamb of God.” The disciples follow him, and he turns and asks them, “What are you looking for?” They respond, “Where are you living” – that is, “Who are you? What are you all about?” Jesus answered, “Come and see!” So, they went, saw where he was staying, and “they stayed with him that day.”
Two options are available to us when Jesus, now the Risen Christ, invites us to “come and see.” One option is to say yes to his invitation, and go to see where Christ lives. The other option is to say no, “not today, I have other plans, other things I want to do; I’m not sure I want to see where you live, or I’m not willing to see where you live.”
Each person’s life is different. We live in different situations. We have different opportunities. We each have different pathways to walk. We each have different ideas and different gifts. Our life changes as the years pass. Still, Christ invites us: “Come and see!” As we live out our lives, making choices as we go along, Christ’s dwelling begins to unfold for us.
Christ leads us toward greater cooperation with one another. We’re invited to respect the uniqueness of each person. We don’t force our own preferences on others. Instead we work together to find common ground. And out of this emerges new possibilities.
We can respond to Christ’s invitation to come and see on different levels. There is the level of daily life. But there is also the level of prayer. We can respond to Christ’s invitation to “come and see” by our willingness to enter more deeply into prayer – into contemplative prayer.
I was reading a brief biography of a young woman named Meg Puelvo. She died in 1996 at the age of 32. When she was 14 years of age she accompanied her parents on a trip to Brazil, to Rio de Janeiro. She rode with her parents to the top of the famous steep hill where the statue of Christ the Redeemer is located. Looking off to one side she could see the opulent hotels, homes, and immaculate beaches enjoyed by the rich. On the other side she could see the impoverished dwellings of the poor. This made her question what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in a world of contradictions. She decided to work among the poor. With her skill as a photographer she gave face to many of the poor that she encountered. She was invited to lecture and displayed her photographs. With her contemplative spirit she was able to capture on film the emotions and experiences of people. But then, she herself developed an inoperable brain tumor which soon took her life. In the last months of her life, through her illness, she had identified with the poor.
“Where do you live?” “Come and see!” And she did.
I have been attracted to the person of Jesus from when I was a young boy. For my 12th birthday my parents gave me a little red, leather bound, New Testament (which I still have), and I was able to begin reading about Jesus.
Looking back, my parents were like John the Baptist to me pointing out Jesus – “There is the Lamb of God.” Although I wasn’t consciously formulating the question, deep inside I was asking, “Where do you live?” And Christ was saying to me, “Come and see.”
And so, I went. From the time I received that little New Testament, I believe Christ has tried to show me where he lives. I spent eight years in the seminary. I ministered in a suburban parish, helped train catechists in rural parishes, pastored a large parish, ministered 20 years in the Federal prison system. Now, as I grow older, I sense Christ’s invitation to provide Eucharist in different Stockton parishes. And I still ask, “Where do you live?” And I sense, “Come and see!”
We are free to respond. We get to make a choice. Will we seek to follow Christ, or will we follow our own desires? Will we cooperate with one another, respecting Christ’s presence in each other, searching for a common good? God only wants what is good for us, and desires to bring us to fulfillment, happiness, and wholeness.
When we celebrate Eucharist we hear, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Perhaps we ask the Lord, “Where do you live?” And we hear him reply, “Come and see.” His response also includes his own question to us – “Are you willing to find out? Or do you want to go your own way?” We look inward to answer that question. We have the option to say, “No, I’m not willing or ready to see where you live.” Or we have the option to say, “Yes, show me where you live, and I will come stay with you.”