Pointing Others To Jesus

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.
 

It never gets old. Whenever I hear those particular words being said during the Mass, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” it is in my hearing that I have the opportunity to stop in my tracks and  humble myself for Who I am about to receive. There have been many times throughout my life where these words were taken for granted, but it is in my maturity, in my growing relationship with Jesus, that I have come to hear those words with different ears. 

How fortunate are we to participate in this most holy form of worship? Our God, our Savior, gave Himself to us so that we may partake in the supper leading to His passion, to exist in this very moment and to know the Truth. Like John the Baptist led Andrew, someone had to point us in the direction of this Truth. It could be parents, godparents, siblings, friends, clergy, whomever was moved by grace to point us to our God. As they stood with us, they gave us a slight nudge so that we may recognize the Lamb of God and follow Him. 

It is in our recognition of the Lord  that we are inclined to spend time with Him  by  having conversations in prayer, sitting in His presence in adoration and renewing our vows as we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This gift that has been given to us brings us to our knees so that we can immerse ourselves deeply in communion with our one, holy and apostolic Church.  Once we are transformed by this Holy Sacrifice, we are sent with a congruent mission to bring Christ to others - for He dwells in us. 

We are called to this mission and must look up to Andrew’s dedication and persistence to bring others to Jesus. Keeping Him to ourselves does not express the level of gratitude or heavenly peace that we possess as disciples. We are called to share Him with others, to bring them to Jesus, so that He may look at them and call them each by name. Let us strive to point others to Jesus by continuing  to set our intentional time of prayer with our Lord, spending time with Him in adoration and worshipping Him in the Mass. 

This week, I encourage you to spend time in adoration with the Lord reflecting on this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel. As you participate in the mass, do you share in delight when we worship as one, as our Lord desires? Do you speak of how you “have found the Messiah” to those you encounter daily?
 

About the Author: Michael Parker is a native of Baton Rouge and life-long Catholic. As a huge sports fan, he spent the majority of his younger years on the football field, and when he wasn’t playing in the game, he was playing in the stands as a band member. After going to LSU to study finance, he began working at a credit union for over a decade where he became a senior branch manager. After years of growing closer to the Lord, he decided to leave his work in finance to become the youth minister of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Amant. He is also in the process of becoming a deacon for the Diocese of Baton Rouge and will be ordained this year. He is the loving husband of JaVaunda and father to JaMicah and Michaela. 

Coffee Order: I like a Medium Roast coffee with half and half.

Favorite Saint (at the moment): St. Augustine has really been tugging on my heart for the last three years. I find myself relating to him often. His conversion was led by his ability to ask the right questions and discover truth. In doing so, he changed radically and became a great source for advocating the word of God and the Church’s teachings. I only hope to speak with some of his beauty as I journey further along in my vocation as a husband, father, and deacon for our Church (God-willing). 

Top Three Songs You’re Listening To: “Thank You” by Maverick City Music, “Wake Up Everybody” by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, “Candy Rain” by Soul for Real…  The 90s were the best for music lol. 

Favorite Song from the Gather Hymnal (aka your favorite traditional church song):  “Gift of Finest Wheat,” especially if there are echoes and voices singing in harmony. Gives me chills every time.