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Connections...
January 19, 2003 Second Sunday of the Year
† John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew found his own brother Simon and told him, we have found the Messiah…"
-John 1:35-42
† Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth… Come and see."
-John 1:43-51
Behold, the Lighthouse
A fleet of battleships was out on night maneuvers. The weather was terrible, pea soup fog, high winds and seas. The second night was even worse. The captain of one of the ships stood on the bridge all night, wary of just secondhand reports. He didn't want to chance colliding with another battle ship in the open seas. All night he surveyed the night skies and the dark sea.
Toward dawn, the executive officer shouted, "Light on the starboard side, sir!"
The captain yelled back, "Is she steady or moving?"
A pause and the reply, "She's steady, sir!"
"Send a message ASAP," The captain roared. "Change course 20 degrees immediately."
The message was relayed and sent. Then back came a reply on the radio that was passed on to the captain, "Sir, they suggest you change course."
The captain was furious. "You tell them that I am a captain and I'm ordering them to change course, 20 degrees hard NOW. Don't those fools know that we're on a collision course?"
The message was sent. Then the reply came back. "I am an ensign second class, and I suggest you change course now."
The captain was enraged. The light was fast approaching. "Damn it, you tell them I'm the captain of a battleship and they'd better obey my orders immediately!"
The message was sent-and back came the reply.
"I'm a light house."
CONNECTION: Possessing that lethal combination of arrogance and fear, the captain was unable to recognize the light in his midst. In today's Gospel, John and the disciples are able not only to recognize the light but welcome the light that is Christ into their lives and bring others into that light. The light shines within our own lives, as well, in the most hidden acts of compassion, the humblest acts of reconciliation the simplest acts of justice. To "behold" Christ, to "come and see" the Messiah, is both an invitation and a challenge. Jesus dares us to come-- to abandon the things that deter us from the things of God; to see-- to focus our attention on the needs of others rather than on our own needs, to find our lives purpose in bringing joy into the lives of others rather than in the pursuit of the things the world deems as important; to behold -to realize the presence of God in the goodness and generosity around us.
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