Our Lives Should Point Jesus Out to Others

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of Jan. 23, 2003)

The following homily was given Jan. 20, by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at St. Joseph Church in Alexandria for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

There is a gesture described in today’s Gospel account that truly demands our attentive reflection — a gesture both simple and profound. What is this gesture? It is the gesture of St. John the Baptist pointing to Jesus! "John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’" We can see St. John so clearly, can’t we, pointing to Jesus and, in so doing, indicating: "There He is — the Lamb of God, the Savior!"

Why does this gesture demand our attentive reflection? First of all, this gesture helps us to recall how we became disciples of Jesus and how we remain His disciples. In some way, Christ was pointed out to us. For many among us, it was our parents and other family members who first pointed out Jesus to us by their instruction and example. For others of us, it was friends or colleagues at work or people in the neighborhood. For yet others among us, it was our inner searching that pointed to Christ. In any case, ultimately, it was the Holy Spirit working through people and events, who pointed out to us Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Savior, and inspired us to respond. Like the two disciples in today’s Gospel account, we have heard Jesus say to us: "What are you looking for?" And we have replied: "Where are you staying?" And He has invited us: "Come, and you will see!" Yes, through daily prayer and the celebration of the sacraments, by meditating on God’s Word and ongoing Christian formation, we have been responding to that initial gesture whereby Christ was pointed out to us. Moreover, we have continued to respond by following Him. Each day, like Samuel in the first reading, we too pray: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Like the two disciples, we too stay with Jesus.

The gesture of pointing to Jesus also demands our attentive reflection because it reminds us of our fundamental mission to point to Jesus and, thereby, to invite people to go to Him, the Lamb of God, the One Savior of the World. Is this not the core of being a disciple: to follow Jesus and to invite others to come to Him? Are we not to be like Andrew in today’s Gospel account, bringing his brother Peter to Jesus and, thereby, pointing to Him as Savior and Lord? Whether in the family or in the workplace, whether in the neighborhood or in the parish, indeed, in every sphere of society in which we live and work, are we not continually pointing to Jesus and saying to those all around us: "There He is – Behold, the Lamb of God, the One who is the Source of life, of justice, of peace?"

Yes, by our words and even more by our witness, we are to point to Christ and to the Gospel values He proclaims: to the Gospel of Life, to the Gospel of Justice, to the Gospel of Peace. This weekend, in this parish, we are in touch with these Gospel realities of life, justice and peace as we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as we bless a monument to the unborn and a statute of St. Katharine Drexel, and as we continue to pray for peace and witness to the inestimable dignity of human life from the first moment of conception to the last moment at natural death.

We point to Christ and to His Gospel of Life! This week our nation will mark the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the taking of innocent human life in the name of an individual’s right to personal privacy. This Supreme Court ruling is often compared to the shameful Supreme Court ruling in the Dred Scott case. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that African-American human persons were "considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings, who had been subjugated by the dominant race" and, therefore, considered the personal property of their owners. These men and women were not to be considered any differently than non-living personal property of U.S. citizens. Today, men and women of every race and religion shudder at such a horrific misunderstanding of the dignity of the human person and wonder how such a travesty could ever have been maintained in law. The Dred Scott ruling was eventually overturned and we pray that Roe v. Wade will be overturned as well. The dignity of every human person regardless of race, religion or gender, must be welcomed and respected from his or her first moment at conception through every stage of life to natural death.

After Mass, we will bless and dedicate a monument to the unborn to make permanently tangible our opposition to all attacks on human life, especially at its beginning, and to call others to the side of life. On Wednesday, we will pray at our Cathedral during the 10 a.m. Mass and then join thousands from across this great land in the March for Life.

As you know, President George W. Bush has proclaimed today National Sanctity of Human Life Day. We are called to point to Christ and His Gospel of Life, recommitting ourselves to create a civilization which respects the human person, created in God’s image, from the very first moment of life at conception.

We point to Christ and to His Gospel of Justice. All people are created equal and deserve respect and dignity. In his proclamation, President Bush stated: "On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we reaffirm the value of human life and renew our dedication to ensuring that every American has access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

This weekend we recall Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who crusaded tirelessly for the concrete realization of equality for all peoples, especially for African-Americans, within our society. Who can ever forget his "I have a dream" address just across the Potomac in Washington? The dream of genuine racial equality is a Christian value and goal because justice is a constitutive element of the Gospel.

St. Katharine Drexel also believed in racial equality as an integral part of the Gospel. She gave her life to the service of African-Americans and Native Americans, generously using her wealth to further this goal and founding a group of sisters — the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament — to minister to the specific needs of Native and African Americans. This great woman, the second U.S.-born saint, supported St. Joseph’s building program here in 1915. This parish church is probably the only one in our diocese built with the help of a canonized saint. Her basic contribution here and throughout this country was to point to Christ and enable people to follow Him.

Finally, we point to Christ and to His Gospel of Peace. Pope John Paul II describes so well the anxiety and fear which grip all our hearts. "Never as at the beginning of this millennium has humanity felt how precarious is the world which it has shaped" (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, Jan. 13, 2003, no. 1). Speaking about war and peace, our Holy Father stated: "‘No to War’! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity" (no. 4) and "The battle for peace is always a battle for life" (no. 3). It is possible to change world directions if we would follow Christ, the Prince of Peace. Rooted in Him and strengthened by Him, we can find alternatives to war. "International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between States, the noble exercise of diplomacy: these are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences" (no. 4). We echo today’s Opening Prayer: "…show us the way to peace in the world."

Pointing to Christ: a Gospel gesture so simple yet so profound! How blessed we are to have Christ pointed out to us and to respond by following after Him as disciples! How privileged we are to point Him out to others! "Behold, Christ the Lord; His Gospel proclaims life, justice and peace!"

This week must not only recall us to be a people of life, justice and peace! This week must see us emerge with renewed hope and energy as we point to Christ by our words and witness: "There He is, follow Him!"

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