Time of the Epiphany
2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Homily of His Excellency Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Jn 1, 35-42
"What are you looking for?"
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We continue to meditate on the witness of John the Baptist, who opens
the way for his disciples to fulfill what he had said: "He must increase and
I must decrease". He invites them to turn, not to the one who points the
way, but to the goal that he points to. John the Baptist directs his disciples
towards the One who is the true purpose of their lives. Among John's
disciples, two of them followed Jesus.
At this point Jesus Himself speaks and asks us, as He did those two
disciples: "What are you seeking?” We are like those two disciples, led
by the Church, by those who have taught us who Jesus is for us, and how
to love and follow him. And every year, every week or every day, Jesus
asks us again, personally: "What are you seeking?"
In fact, what are we really seeking? What do we hope Jesus will do in our
life? What do we ask the Lord when we pray? Can we still ask Jesus the
same question those disciples asked, and listen to his answer? "Master,
where are you staying? - Come and see.
Jesus is inviting them to an exceptional adventure. So, like those two
disciples who, even before knowing the destination, followed Jesus, we
too are called to follow him and dwell with him. It is this abandonment,
this total and exclusive trust in Jesus that enables them to "dwell" with
Him. "So they went and saw where he was staying. And there begins the
adventure, where He dwells, for Andrew, one of the two disciples who
had listened to John the Baptist's testimony, quickly goes to find his
brother Simon to introduce him to Jesus, assuring him that he has found
the Messiah, so that he too "dwells" with Jesus.
This Greek verb, "μένω", (ménô) to abide, not only means "to dwell", it
also says "what persists, what lasts forever". It's the same verb used by the
evangelist when the disciples of Emmaus ask their mysterious traveling
companion to stay with them. And it's the same verb that describes the
risen Christ who remains with them, yet disappears from their sight at the
meal.
Where Jesus is, where He dwells, is not a place, it is a relationship. An
intimate relationship made possible by personal conversion. But how does
such a conversion take place? Through the gaze of Jesus, who turns and
casts an intimate look on us, as he did with Simon: "inside, deeply".
Through this gaze, he changed his name, as if to assign him a new mission
that would change his life: to follow him and become his apostle, his
witness... At baptism, he gives us a new name: son or daughter of God.
To be a disciple of Jesus today is to listen to his call, to discover his
mysterious presence in our lives. It means remaining in communion with
Him at every Eucharist, meditating on His Word and abandoning
ourselves to Him in prayer. It means becoming His apostle, with the
mission of bringing Him as Good News of love, mercy and peace to
others...
Prayer
Lord, you call us to come and see where you dwell, to become your
disciples. Help us to grow in fidelity to your call, and, through the gift of
your Holy Spirit, may we be bearers of your Good News to our brothers
and sisters in humanity. Amen.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus