Where Are You Staying?

Gospel: John 1: 35-42

The latest fad in church world is the topic of discipleship, and just like its predecessors "renewal" and "evangelization" those promoting it will tell you that it consists of their pre-packaged programs that are all about theology, catechesis, and liturgical rubric.  And like these previous efforts it will fail because it asks the wrong question and looks for the answers in all the wrong places.  

In today's Gospel portion, people approach Jesus and ask, "Where are you staying?"  And his response to them is "Come and see." The rest of the Gospel is all about following Jesus to see where he stays.  And we find that it is among the poor and lame, blind and possessed, deaf and outcast, deformed and marginalized.  We will find him eating with sinners whether they be prostitutes, tax collectors, or Pharisees.  We will find him healing, liberating, and nourishing all of these.

The question of discipleship is not about theology or catechisms or liturgy.  It is about whether we are willing to follow the Lord when he invites us to come and see where he is staying, whether we will take up this work of being among the poor and sick, foreigner and demoniac, sinner and outcast.  To be a disciple is to take up the work of healing, liberating, and nourishing.  How is God calling us to do that work in our world today?