Answering the Lord's Call to Something Greater
We are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, so what we do is for the good or ill of the entire body. We are also temples of the Holy Spirit. We bear something precious in us that must be cherished and nurtured.
In today's Gospel two disciples of the prophet John the Baptist, at his encouragement, check out a Rabbi (a.k.a. the Lamb of God) and become not only his disciples, but his friends, and must share the good news. Two disciples of a prophet go looking for a Rabbi and find not only a Rabbi but a friend and much more.
Andrew and the "other disciple," whom we presume to be John the Evangelist, don't start grilling Our Lord when they meet him. Rather, they want to hang out with him. They don't address him as the "Lamb of God" as John the Baptist did, just as "Rabbi," an expression of respect and an acknowledgment that he has something to teach them. He doesn't try to impose and preconceived notions on them in response; he merely says, "come and see." It is not just learning from him, but living with him.
Andrew, as the Gospel recalls, "heard John and followed Jesus." If he hadn't listened to John, he would not have found Jesus either. In following Jesus, Andrew discovers that he has met the Messiah, and that's not something he can keep to himself, so he shares it with his brother, Simon.
The minute Jesus meets Simon, he gives him a nickname—Cephas—and from that friendship a great mission would soon be born. Cephas—Peter—would not undertake that mission alone; he would follow Christ and share in his mission.
Baby on Board
You still see a few around these days, but there was a moment where almost everyone driving on the road with an infant in their car had a "Baby on Board" sign in the window. It was a sign of something beautiful—everyone loves children, especially babies—but also an invitation to drive carefully for the baby's sake. It also showed that the driver was even driving more carefully because he or she had a precious cargo.
Imagine if we all walked around with a "Holy Spirit on Board" t-shirt. What would we be trying to say? We are bearing a precious cargo that we or those around us can endanger: the Holy Spirit.
We can't harm the Holy Spirit, but we can hurt or drive the Spirit away through our sins. Similarly, if people know we are temples of the Holy Spirit and wish us good, they won't do anything to jeopardize that either.
House Guest
If someone was going to stay over with you, would you make them clean their room, make their bed, and wash their towels on the day of their arrival (or any other day, for that matter)?
Would you make them purchase their groceries and prepare their meals? Would you spend time with them and show them around town, or would you ignore them? The Italians have a saying, "Guests are like fish; after three days, they stink" (L'ospite è come il pesce, dopo tre giorni puzza).
The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the sweet guest of the soul. How do we treat the sweet Guest we are hosting?
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening"
Take the "Samuel" challenge this week: not just once, but three times, take a few minutes of silent prayer this week and say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening," then listen. Listening here does not just consist of processing information, but of being ready to do what he tells you, even if it is hard.
He may give you an entirely new mission in life, he may only tell you to get your act together, but he will tell you something. If you think he is trying to tell you something, but don't quite get it, seek someone who can give you good spiritual advice.