We couldn't help but follow....

We had heard about John’s preaching down by the Jordan River for some time now; but to actually be experiencing it, that is a whole other story! He is passionate and zealous, and many say that he might be the one to restore Israel to her rightful place among the nations.

However, John pointed to Jesus with words I still don’t fully understand: ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ Something about Him drew me, and I had to follow. There is a peace in His presence, an obvious connection with the Lord God; I wanted to be a part of it.

And then Jesus turned, looked into the depths of my very soul, it seemed, and asked: ‘What are you looking for?’ I simply wanted to stay in His presence! I could tell He had a knowledge that seemed deeper, more powerful than anyone else I had met, even John! “Rabbi, where are you staying?” was all I could muster. “Come and see.” A simple invitation, a call to follow Him….

But I couldn’t, just yet. Something told me I had to find my brother first. We had left our boats behind in Galilee to come and see John, to be baptized by this preacher out in the wilderness. Now, here was someone John pointed to, someone he wanted us to follow, instead of following himself. Something told me that I had to get Simon. “We have found the Messiah!” The words were scarcely off my lips before I realized what I had said, but we rushed ahead anyway to find this Jesus whom John had indicated.

Simon fell to the ground upon meeting Him, especially at those words Jesus spoke to my brother: ‘You are Simon, Son of John, you will be called Cephas, the Rock.’ He drew us closer and we couldn’t help but follow….


Andrew Dinners upcoming:
A key component in so many who continue to follow Our Lord, even yet today, is the invitation by another to ‘Come and See’ that the Lord might be calling. The Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is sponsoring three upcoming ‘Andrew Dinners,’ named for this very encounter from the Gospel according to St. John, where priests and pastors are invited to bring young men from their parish or ministry to meet Archbishop Schnurr, to hear about the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood, and to learn more about seminary life. Consider inviting, on behalf of your pastor, a young man (junior or senior in high school) whom you know and see in the makings of a possible vocation, to join us at one of the following dinners:

• October 13: Holy Trinity, Coldwater
• October 20: Cincinnati, St. John the Baptist, Dry Ridge
• November 3: Incarnation, Centerville

The Andrew Dinners begin at 5:30 pm and are completed by 8:00. For more information, contact the Vocation Office: 513-421-3131, x2890 or vocations (at) catholiccincinnati (dot) org.