January 14, 2024.

Introduction:

In the first reading, 1 Sam 3:3-10,19, we encounter the story of the call of Samuel, as a young boy, and how Eli helps him to recognize and respond to God’s call. The reading reminds us that God can choose to use anyone to accomplish his mission; he doesn’t always follow our human logic. The Gospel passage, Jh 1:35-42, continues the theme of the first reading by affirming that we are all invited to meet Jesus; and we can meet him when someone tells us about him. The second reading, 1 Cor 6:13-15,17-20, tells us that when we hear the call of Christ and accept to freely follow him, such encounter with him propels us to leave a completely new life. Therefore, the focus (centre) of our readings today is that Jesus wants us to follow him. Following Jesus in our life is the centre of our Christian vocation. 

Our Christian vocation of following Jesus:

To deepen our understanding of today's invitation to follow and bring others to Jesus, we reflect on three points from today's gospel.

1. Following Christ is not enough; we must follow him for the right reasons:
   When John the Baptist’s disciples, i.e., Andrew and John, started to follow Jesus, Jesus asked them a fundamental question: “What do you want?” This is the same question he is asking us today as his followers. We can paraphrase the question, assimilate it and ask ourselves with all honesty and freedom: What is it binding me to Jesus? By asking the disciples the question "What do you want?" He wanted them to be fully aware of why they were following him. It is a question which reminds us today that we should not follow Jesus for personal purpose; that will be making him follow us. We should rather follow him freely because we want to participate in his mission of salvation, as we carry on our daily duties. Thus, Jesus is inviting us to examine our motives for following him daily. When we examine ourselves what do we see? We discover and become more aware of so many good things the Lord has enabled us to do, and we give him thanks. But also, we discover some negative things (shadows) – where we have not followed the Lord but our self-interests. To come to know our shadows/failures is a blessing for that is how the Lord invites us back to his course. We should not be discouraged when we know how weak we are. He will strengthen us; he gives us the example of Simon whom he named Peter, meaning 'rock'. As we know Peter in the gospel, sometimes failed to be that rock but kept his faith and trust in the Lord; finally, he was firm enough. So, take courage as we purify our motivations of following Jesus in our daily lives.
    
2. Today’s gospel passage invites us to personally ask ourselves: Who is Jesus for me?
   
   The passage of the gospel for today's Sunday presents how the first disciples gradually got to know who Jesus for them is. Initially, they heard from the Baptist that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and as they followed him, they discovered that he was a Rabbi. Andrew spent a day talking with him and was convinced that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, then came to conclude that he is the Son of God, the King of Israel. By telling this story, John's Gospel helps us to know that for us today, as was the case of the first disciples, to be able to know Jesus and follow him with the right intentions/motivations, we need to take time to be with him and experience him. How then can we be with and experience Jesus today? We can do so primarily in three ways:
   • by reading and reflecting on the scriptures – the Gospel is the word of Jesus,
   • by spending time in prayer daily – to talk with him and listen to him, and
   • by reflecting on our daily experiences – to be aware of the presence and the workings of the Lord in our life.
     
     In this way, we gradually and more deeply live by faith, rather than simple words of faith.
3. As Christians, telling our faith story is an important aspect of our Christian vocation. 

Andrew encountered Jesus, experienced his teaching and love, and was convinced and believed in Jesus; then he went to tell his brother, Simon Peter, what he experienced and brought Simon to Jesus. Simon came to Jesus because he heard the story of his brother Andrew. Telling the story of our faith is the way we can bring others to Jesus. Telling the story of our faith to our friends and relatives means telling them about our relationship with Jesus. It is to tell them what Jesus has done for you. In this case, telling one’s story has nothing to do with coercion, but a sincere sharing of what has shaped your life. In that way, we can bring others to Jesus, who is full of love and compassion and invite all of us to follow him so that he can be a true Shepard for us in our daily lives. So, let us resolve this Sunday to develop a practice of talking with others about our relationship with Jesus, as we count our blessings.

Sunday Homily by Fr. Corbinian Kyara, SJ; St. Ignatius Parish - Tokyo