Homily

The Gospel brings us to the banks of the Jordan River where John is still baptizing. But what does it mean for us standing on the banks of the Jordan River? It means not to reduce Christmas to a remote event, a vague feeling that leaves life as it is. Believers stay where the Lord has put them to wait for the kingdom of God, the new world that the Lord came to inaugurate. Disciples do not go away, do not flee for they know that the kingdom will manifest itself where they live. John continues to wait for the kingdom of God trying to change his heart and making it attentive to God's signs. And it was exactly when he was on the river banks of the Jordan that he saw Jesus pass by. He fixed his gaze on him; he recognized him and pointed him out to others: "Look, here is the Lamb of God!"
With the eyes of his heart, John scanned the signs of a new world. And behold he saw Jesus pass. His eyes, trained to seek God's signs, recognized God's envoy and said to the bystanders: "Look, here is the lamb of God!" The prophet pointed to the meek one, whose humanity makes God's face concrete. John pointed to the lamb that lets himself be led to the slaughter to defeat evil. For Andrew and John, it is the Baptist who pointed out to the Lord, the one they really needed and could give meaning to their life. They began to follow him, though at a distance; And Jesus turned back and asked, "What are you looking for?" Here again God takes the initiative; it is Jesus who turns and "sees" the two disciples. In the style of John, the evangelist, the use of the verb "to see" means that the relationships between several individuals take place in direct, immediate contact: "to see," means to go down into another's heart and at the same time to let oneself be scrutinized in one's own; "to see" is to understand and be understood.
In the heart of the two disciples was the desire for a new life for themselves and for others. And they reply, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" The need for a "teacher" to follow and of a "house" in which to live is at the heart of their search. But this question also arises from men and women today in a very particular way: it is in fact rare to find "teachers" of life, it is difficult to find one who really loves you, it is increasingly frequent to feel uprooted and without a true community which receives and accompanies us. Even our cities seem to be built in such a way as to make a life of solidarity and community difficult if not impossible.
One is not saved alone. Each of us needs help: Samuel was helped by Eli the priest; Andrew by the Baptist and Peter by his brother Andrew. We too need a priest, a brother, and a sister, someone to help us and accompany us in our religious and human journey. To the request of the two disciples, Jesus responds, "Come and see;" he does not delay in explaining; in fact, he does not have a doctrine to convey but a life to communicate. This is why Jesus proposes a concrete experience, we could say a friendship that can be touched and seen. The encounter with Jesus creates a new brotherly bond between Andrew and Peter. "We have found the Messiah," Andrew says with joy. He too begins to speak like John, showing that Jesus is present. The word must be communicated, otherwise it is lost. A light is not lit to be put under a bushel. Once we find it, it makes us say: I have found the future, meaning, hope. I found not only what I was looking for, but much more than I even desired! Let us ask the Lord to communicate his hope with passion to those seeking a future and salvation, and let us thank him because he continues to give us his company.