At the Baptism of Christ we were permitted to see the spiritual intimacy between Christ and his prophet, John the Baptist. Mark did not tell us about it. He showed it to us. Now the Gospel of John shows us something quite different. This week, he shows John the Baptist point out to the two disciples that Jesus is the “Lamb of God.” Presumably, if they are John’s disciples, they have the experience of John’s baptism of repentance. They follow the law and keep the commands.
Yet, John knows that they need more than mere repentance. Before these disciple could really know what the Baptist means, he tells them that Jesus is the living sacrifice. John knows his disciples well, for, sure enough, they follow Jesus. He turns to them and asks, “What are you looking for?” Then, the two go with Jesus to see where He is “staying.” Staying? What does this mean? A few hours later they find Andrew’s brother, Simon, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah,” meaning God’s annointed. Surely they didn’t learn Jesus is the Christ from seeing the rooms where He lived at that time. Still, these two good men spend a couple of hours with Jesus and suddenly they know, this is the Messiah.
Even more amazing, Andrew brings his brother Simon, another disciple of the Baptist, to find Jesus. And what happens? Jesus looks at Simon and calls him by name. Jesus recognizes Simon’s lineage. Then, without another word, he claims authority to rename Simon, “you will be called Cephas.” And, we know Simon Peter did not object. He followed.
What just happened? John does not try to show us. He leaves the work to us. We must meditate upon where Jesus stays. At Jesus baptism, we know He opened the heavens and the Holy Spirit crossed from Heaven to Earth and rested on Jesus. We know the Father praised the Son. In some mysterious way, they (Holy Trinity) are now actively joined in what will become Jesus’ public ministry, His mission. When the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus it is like the Spirit cloud hovering over the Arc of the Covenant. In that instance the Arc beame the Temple of God. Now, for our sake, the Holy Spirit covers Jesus and Jesus becomes the Temple…the living Temple of the Holy Trinity. John does not show this to us, he forces us to seek our own way to Jesus. We, too, must ask for Jesus to show us where He is staying. We must show our desire.
It began when one man who knew Jesus, John the Baptist, looked at another man who hungered for righteousness and said, “there He is.” And that one, when he followed after Jesus, received a gift he passed on to the next. He says to another, Simon, “there He is.” Simon looked at Jesus who was looking at him. If you have gazed into the eyes of someone who truly loves you, and you have seen yourself reflected there, then you know something of what Simon Peter knew when Jesus named him... He knows me. In that knowledge Peter recognized the Spirit dwelling in the living temple of Christ. Peter began to point that Temple out to all the world. The one who knows you, loves you. He knows your hunger. He knows your blindness. He knows everything about you. If like Peter, our desire finds itself known and loved, we can choose to respond. We choose to enter the Temple where Christ is staying.
“You are Simon the son of John” John 1:38
Everyone is invited to start by making an intention to join in prayer. We pray the Joyful Mysteries and ask for the humility of the Baptist as we seek the living Temple. We ask our Lord to look into our hearts and recognize us with Love that enflames our spirits. Let us pray for the conversion of the spiritually blind, for those who do not know Christ, and the return of those who have left His Church. We pray for the unborn, for our children and grandchildren, and for all our friends and family.
Saint Cecilia Congregation in the Rosary