Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
I grew up in a Catholic family. I remember from a young age, my mother always told us our religion and having Jesus as a friend was the most important thing. I was used to going to Mass every Sunday, and occasionally I would accompany my mother to Eucharistic Adoration. I was always very involved in church activities, and I even went to a Catholic school my whole life. Overall, I’d say I’ve always had a broad knowledge of our faith. But at some point, I started getting older and the questions started coming. I realized that while I had a lot of knowledge about the Catholic faith and I knew a lot of things about Jesus, I didn’t have an understanding of the faith or, most importantly, a relationship with Jesus.
In today’s Gospel, Matthew tells us about when Jesus went to meet Peter and his brother Andrew. And although Andrew and Peter had all the knowledge about the Messiah’s eventual arrival, they had studied the Scripture and knew what the prophets had said about the Messiah, they longed and prayed for the Messiah’s arrival, still, they almost didn’t notice when the Messiah arrived. They had to give their yes, to accept that Jesus was the Messiah, and to build a relationship with Him personally.
Jesus patiently waits for us to notice His arrival in our life, to have an encounter with Him, to invite Him to be the center of our life. Many of you, like me when I was young, might know a lot about our faith, maybe you go to Mass regularly, maybe you made your Sacraments, maybe you can list some facts about Jesus – but maybe you haven’t invited Him to be a part of your life yet.
I perfectly remember the day I opened the doors of my heart to Him, the day that, despite knowing so much about Him, I decided to have a relationship with Him, and I can assure you, that day changed my life forever. He has shown me the way and continues to surprise me all the time with the plans He has for me.
Perhaps right now you feel lost or unsure which path to take. Today I invite you to let the Messiah arrive in your heart, just as the apostles did. Invite Him to be a part of your life. It’s not enough to simply have extensive knowledge about Him; He wants to have a relationship with you and be a part of your life.