Come and See

Somewhere within our inner self is the answer that will lead us to a more meaningful and fulfilling life. We are invited in the most gentle of ways to explore this invitation. This is a call to faith. When we have no faith, it is a call to come. When we have given up, it is a call to come back. When we have some, it is a call to come and serve. “Come and See” is today’s invitation.

Whichever stage we are at in faith, God’s hand is always present, gently guiding, comforting and protecting. Always, he is nearer than we imagine. In the quiet, stillness of our inner self we feel a gentle nudge at our conscience and a soft voice that calls on us to come closer to Him. This soft, inner voice is amplified by the happenings and the people in our life. It also gets louder in the turmoil of life.

When we first hear this call, typically we are filled with doubt. Changes are never easy for anyone. We find it extremely difficult to let go of a current lifestyle or situation. Also a call to faith somehow short circuits the brain to think that answering the call will mean more sacrifices and sufferings. We are muddled in a complexity of fear, guilt and unworthiness. We hide. But the soft voice continue to echo in our inner self, “Come and See”.

Today’s world hurries us into decisions. We gain credit for speed of thought, we must hurry to be ahead of the other. To progress into a better position promising a better lifestyle, we have to qualify, satisfying a set of criteria. We have to be ahead of who we actually are. But this is all in complete opposite of this call to come closer to faith.

God calls us today, right now in our current state. Feeling unqualified to be holy, he calls us as who we are in our present state. There is no need to be ahead of our self. And he is not expecting a hurried decision. He expects that his welcome, despite who we are, will be an encouragement to come. He expects that his gentleness will soothe our doubts and fears. Because much as we want to know, ‘What’s in it for us?’ he knows that we can never comprehend, due to our human limitations, ‘What I have in store for you’.

So he gently says, “Come and See”.

We must personify this call. Our ways to welcome one another, ourselves included into another stage of faith, must be filled with this gentleness. Reconciliation is a process, not a short, sharp, hurried decision. When a person appears out of a spiritual wilderness and desire to come home to Church, we must avoid the judgmental advice of “Go for confession”! If we do that we short circuit God’s intention of being gentle.

Our challenging life can become a meaningful and fulfilling life when we walk the gentle path of faith. When we hear the soft voice, we must be like Samuel and answer, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. Come and taste the goodness of our Lord. Come and see the gentleness of our Lord. “Come and See”