Saint Catherine of Siena

Masses
Saturday Vigil Mass: 5pm
Sunday Mass: 8:30am, 10:45am, 6:30pm 
Weekday Mass: 12:10pm, 7pm

Confession
Monday - Friday: 6:30pm
Saturday: 4pm
Sunday: 5:50pm

Adoration of Blessed Sacrament
Monday - Friday: 6pm-7pm

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.
 

Jn 1:35-42
 

“What are you looking for?” I hear that question all the time. I ask it to myself. I ask it to others. This question, when asked, is rarely welcomed. It is annoying for a teenager when it is asked over a dinner table. It is a source of anger for a student when it has a not too subtle subtext of hinting at past wrong choices. It also becomes an overflow of lonely sadness when a spouse is asked this and he realizes he doesn’t know what the answer is anymore.
 
The later the question appears in my life, the more loaded it becomes. It almost always  provokes some sort of resistance. I am angry because I don’t know what to say.
 
In the depths of my soul I feel that I know what I would like to say. I would like to talk about greatness and holiness, about my longing for great fulfillment of my life, about my ability to finally express myself and be honest, especially with those I love. So honest that no other questions would ever be needed.
 
I also know that behind every one of my dreams, longings, and desires lurks the decay of imperfection that is capable of turning greatness into nothing. That’s why I’m afraid to say all those things. I don’t even know how to say them, so when this question is asked, I become defensive.
 
John and Andrew in the Gospel do not react with anger, they do not hide nor avoid Jesus. I am very grateful to them for this, for their honesty, their straightforwardness, and their trust in the master whom they just met. They must have heard something amazing in his teaching that day and they loved it so much that they were capable of overcoming natural human reaction.
 
I am also grateful to them because, thanks to their persistence and love, we can all remember the first words of the Messiah to his first disciples. “What are you looking for?”
 
Contrary to our human fears, this question is not a judgment or an instruction. It is a question of a Father who is looking for his children. They left the house in anger and they are wounded. They are afraid of coming back to the Father and they are ashamed of who they have become. This question allows them to choose the depth of their conversation with the Father. When Jesus asks me, “What are you looking for?” he allows me to give any answer that I want. I can go as deep in my heart as I only can. Or I can be as shallow as I am so well trained to be. The openness of this question creates for me a space of freedom. It is a very dangerous space because that very freedom, and the very flexibility of my answer can mean a missed opportunity of a lifetime. It could mean the difference between life and death. It also allows even my weakest longings for holiness to become the foundation of my relationship with God.
 
Here, Andrew and John help me again. They obviously want to express the whole pain,  confusion, hope, and frustration of mankind. Master, we have so many things to tell you, but the problem is, we don’t even know how to start. We don’t even know how to reach the level at which you are talking but we don’t want to miss this encounter. So “Rabbi where are you staying?”
 
Like the most amazing blessing that comes unexpectedly, the gentle and understanding words of Jesus become an invitation to the great adventure: “Come and you will see.” Your freedom will be protected, your desires will be answered, your sins will be redeemed – you will be free to know and to love God. “Come and you will see.

Here is the family prayer for the Second Sunday. [Click here.]
 

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