"Gaze Intently" Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Jn 1:35-42.

Fr. Raymond

 

Sancta Maria Abbey: http://www.nunraw.com.uk  
Blogspot :http://www.domdonald.org.uk/

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Raymond . . .
Sent: Sunday, 15 January 2012, 8:39
Subject: gaze intently

SUNDAY 2  2012       (John I  35-42)

“.....as Jesus passed, John stared hard at him and said: “Look, there is the Lamb of God”.”   The Evangelist says: “John stared hard at him”, not just “John saw him”, or even “John looked at him”, but “John stared hard at him”.

There are many ways in which we can observe something with our power of sight.  We can take a passing, casual glimpse at a thing.  It hardly even registers it in our consciousness.  Or we can linger on a scene like a beautiful panorama.  We see it; we certainly appreciate; we enjoy it but only in as a whole without focusing on any particular detail.  It’s the picture as a whole that captivates us without us focusing on any particular detail. In fact, as soon as we focus on any particular detail we lose sight of the scene as a whole.  That’s all part of the finitude of our being.  Only God can see everything in all its aspects all at once.  It would make a fascinating study in psychology to consider all the ways in which we can observe something or look at someone.

So, to get back to John’s “intent gaze on Jesus”.  What implications are there in the evangelists use of this fascinating phrase?  We can surely believe that the intensity of his gaze came from an inner fascination with Jesus.  He must have already had some experience of Jesus.  An experience that had moved him deeply.  He must have seen his miracles, how power went out of him.  He must have heard his teaching.  He must have been one of those who felt that no man had ever spoken like this before.  But above all, it was love that drew is gaze to fasten so intently on Him.  His heart had been captivated by everything about this man and the heart, of course, has its reasons that the mind doesn’t dream of.

It’s so important for us to realise that, in this we don’t need to be envious of John.  That same Jesus is still alive and active before the gaze of all of us.  With the eyes of our faith we can all fix our gaze intently on Jesus.   We can all do that through our prayer and meditation.  And that same power that went out of Jesus will certainly reach out to us and captivate our own hearts just as it did the mind and heart of John.  Let us all strive then to “fix our gaze intently on Jesus” throughout or lives.