Ash Wednesday, February 17. "Come and See"

Prepare to listen.  Remind yourself God is present, closer to you than you are to yourself.  Pray: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me (Ps 51:10).
 
Prayerfully and slowly Read John 1:35-42
35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’  37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’  They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’  39He said to them, ‘Come and see.’  They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.  It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.  40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed).  42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John.  You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).
 
Prayerfully wonder
The question at the heart of the spiritual life is the one Jesus asked the two disciples of John when, without invitation, they followed Jesus.  They are Jesus’ first words in John: “What are you looking for?”  What do you most desire in life?  I’m not sure that the two knew what to say because they responded with a question of their own: “Where are you staying?”  Without a word of rebuke, Jesus graciously invited them: “Come and see.”  They did.  They saw, they remained with him and it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
 
I used to think I knew what I was looking for.  Then one day I heard Jesus ask me what I desired most.  I too didn’t know and heard the same gracious, come and see.  We’ll never know what the disciples saw that day.  However, since Andrew ran to confidently tell his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah,” we know they were convinced and conquered by Jesus.
 
Jesus asks us all, and sometimes more than once, about our innermost desires.  And when we fumble and mutter, he simply invites us to come and see.  Take your questions, struggles, doubts and come.  Spend Lent in the company of Jesus and see whatever he reveals.
 
Prayerfully Reflect
Hear Jesus’ question addressed to you and respond: What are you looking for?
 
Respond to Jesus
Thank you, Lord Jesus for your gentle invitation to come and see.  I accept with gratitude and commit to spending time in your presence this Lent, alert to whatever you show me.  Amen.
 
Go and live obediently in the world.  Accept Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” and commit to staying the course of reading your Bible in Lent.