Taking Notice

2nd Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6; Corinthians 1: 1-3; 

John 1: 29-34

I must confess that I struggled with these readings and this homily. I tried and tried to find something meaningful – something profound to say about we are called to do today. But every time I tried to write something, I hit a wall. What I was thinking – what I was writing just didn't work.

Father Jim has said many times that the Holy Spirit takes care of idiots and priests. Well guess what folks – I'm not a priest – but the Holy Spirit came to my rescue this morning. As I contemplated today's gospel passage for the umpteenth time, it hit me like a kick in the head. “You fool, you idiot, how can you take something so simple and mess it up? It's back to the basics time.”

In today's readings, we aren't called to some action that requires a total commitment. We aren't called to change our lives or effect change on someone else. Those opportunities will come soon enough in other readings and other homilies. Today we are simply called to observe – that's it – to notice the awesome power and the glory of God in our midst.

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Then he said something that made me pause. He said, “I did not know him...”

John was Jesus' kinsman. Of course John had known Jesus previously as a member of his family. When John says “I did not know him,” what he is actually saying is, “I did not see him as God. I did not recognize the awesome gifts that he possessed until now.” Let's face it, when you see the heavens open up and the Holy Spirit descend like a dove and remain upon him – that is going to open eyes. That is going to reveal truth.

We are all called to notice God in our world today. Sometimes it's not easy. Recent events in Tucson and elsewhere remind us that there is evil in the world. It's brought into our homes and our lives through the news on television and the internet. We are bombarded with images of pain, of suffering, of moral decay daily. Today's gospel is whispering at us – reminding us to look for the rose among the thorns.

A few weeks ago, I suffered a huge loss in my personal life. I won't go into details here, but let's just say that my life at St. Gabriel has been hugely impacted by these events. That weekend, when I was up here at the 11 AM mass, I couldn't focus. I was just going through the motions. I couldn't see beyond my own hurt and grief at this loss. To use John's words, “I did not know him.”

At the 12:30 mass, my eyes were opened. I was preparing to read the gospel. I bowed to the priest, and asked for his blessing. I went to the altar and picked up the book of the gospels. As I held it aloft, the sun came streaming through the large stained glass window behind me and reflected a rainbow of colors off the book. And I noticed. At that moment my eyes were opened and the glory of God became evident. I saw the rose among the thorns. Suffice it to say, I still had to deal with my anger and my grief. But knowing that God was present in that suffering got me through.

It's easy to recognize God in a place like St. Gabriel. The real challenge that we all face is finding Him once we leave. Do we see the glory, the awesome power of God in our encounters with others? Isaiah said in today's first reading, “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.” Each of us has that glory of God within us. That glory is nurtured through the Eucharist and strengthened through the sacraments. The problem is that we don't recognize it within ourselves. We can see it in others sometimes, but not in ourselves.

I have a challenge for everyone today. Before you go to bed this evening, I want you to notice the gift of God in someone. I want you to recognize this special treasure – that's the easy part. The challenge is that I want you to tell that person what you've seen. You can call them on the phone, drop a card in the mail, E-Mail, Facebook – it doesn't matter how you do it. But let that person know that you noticed. Make that person aware – because chances are that they have never seen this gift in themselves.

That is one reason that community is so important. When we notice these gifts, these glimpses of the glory of God in others, we should point it out. We need to offer encouragement and validation to those people. We need to help them see how special these gifts are. We need to testify “Behold, the Lamb of God.” 

Deacon Darryl J. Diemer

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 16, 2011