Gospel for OCIA 09/20/26 10:30am Mass is John 1:35-42 found at:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201%3A35-42&version=NRSVCE
In this gospel
from the evangelist Saint John,
there’s a simple question
that goes right to the heart
of our faith.
John the Baptist is standing
with two of his disciples
when Jesus walks by.
John looks at Jesus
and says,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
Those words
should sound familiar to us.
We hear them at every Mass,
when the priest holds up the Eucharist and says,
“Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him
who takes away the sins of the world.”
When the two disciples hear John’s words,
they begin to follow Jesus.
And Jesus turns around
and asks them,
“What are you looking for?”
Which is interesting, isn’t it?
Jesus could have asked,
“Who are you?”
He could have asked,
“Why are you following me?”
Instead,
He asks,
“What are you looking for?”
And I think Jesus asks every one of us
that same question all the time.
What are you looking for?
Maybe it’s peace.
Maybe forgiveness.
Maybe direction in our life.
Maybe a deeper relationship with God.
Maybe we’re carrying something today
that nobody else in this church knows about,
and we’re simply hoping
God will help us.
We all
come through those doors
looking for something.
And today,
we have some brothers and sisters with us,
in the inquiry phase of OCIA,
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
who are exploring more deeply
what it means to follow Christ
in the Catholic Church.
To each of them,
I hope
you hear Jesus speaking personally to you today,
“What are you looking for?”
You may not completely know the answer yet.
And that's okay.
Because neither did those first disciples.
They simply ask Jesus,
“Where are you staying?”
Yet, Jesus gives them
one of the simplest invitations
in all of Sacred Scripture,
“Come, and you will see.”
He doesn't give them all the answers.
He doesn't explain everything that lies ahead.
He simply invites them
to take the next step.
To come and see.
And that
is not only an invitation for OCIA,
it’s an invitation
for every one of us here.
Because none of us
ever finishes
becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Whether we’ve been exploring the Catholic faith
for eight weeks,
or eight years
or eighty years,
Jesus continues to invite us
to come closer.
The Catechism tells us
that “the desire for God
is written in the human heart.”
There is something in us
that keeps searching for Him.
And the beautiful truth of our faith is
that long before we begin searching for Him,
God is already searching for us.
And look
at what happens next.
Andrew spends time with Jesus,
and then immediately
goes looking for his brother Simon.
He tells him,
“We have found the Messiah.”
And “Then he brought him to Jesus.”
Andrew,
didn't have all the answers.
He didn't give Peter
a theology lesson.
He simply brought him to Jesus.
And that
is what we’re all called to do.
Parents,
bringing their children to Jesus.
Husbands and wives,
encouraging one another in faith.
Friends inviting friends to Mass.
Parishioners welcoming someone
who walks through these doors
for the first time.
And maybe,
that’s how those
in the inquiry stage of OCIA
got here.
Someone planted a seed.
Someone answered a question.
Someone offered an invitation.
Someone lived their Catholic faith
in a way that made another person curious.
That helped bring someone to Jesus.
In a few moments,
we will hear the words of John the Baptist again,
“Behold the Lamb of God.”
And this time,
our attention will not be
on Jesus walking beside the Jordan.
It will be on this altar,
where Jesus Christ
is truly present in the Eucharist.
So, whether we are exploring the faith
or have been receiving
the Eucharist our entire life,
Jesus asks us the same question,
“What are you looking for?”
Giving us the same invitation,
“Come, and you will see.”
Maybe this coming week
our prayer can be very simple,
“Jesus,
help me follow You
more closely.”
And maybe,
Just maybe,
like Andrew,
we can do one more thing along the way,
bring someone else
a little closer to Jesus
in the process.
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