I am a people watcher. Not in a creepy way. I enjoy seeing what they are doing, and how they interact with one another. Whether I am in line at Walmart or sitting in my car at a red light, I find myself looking around and just experiencing the world around me. This week my doctor was running late, so I found myself waiting for him on the third floor. I began to meditate on the readings for this Sunday in preparation for the weekend Mass while praying a rosary. The room had these big open windows and I found myself watching the world come alive around me.
A young, blond woman was walking laps around the parking lot, probably getting in some exercise on a break. A gorgeous, expensive-looking muscle car was parked across three spaces at an angle. The owner sitting in it with the door open, revving the engine every few minutes. A man, dressed all in black, kept coming in and out of the building to get computer parts. A cable this trip, a monitor and keyboard the next. On the far side in the shade sat an older car, with water slowly dripping to the pavement from the running air conditioner. A young man inside had his feet up on the dash, trying to get in a quick nap. These signs show that people live here. They work here. This is where they take breaks, fix things, and try to meet others. Signs of life.
Then I saw an elderly couple come out of the building. They look to be in their eighties. She seemed frail and unstable on her feet, shuffling as she walked. He looked like he might have been a football player or a farmer, stocky and solid. He had his arm linked to hers in a gentle guiding way. Every time he would speak to her, her eyes seemed to light up, and I could hear her laughter tinkling through the air all the way up to me on the third floor. They walked arm in arm, him supporting her as they moved. A few times, she would rest her head on his shoulder, in one of those moves that simply shows trust and affection. This beautiful moment between the two made it apparent to the world around them that they were still very much in love. Signs of life and signs of love. Love brings life. It brings activity. It animates.
That’s what I think the lesson from today’s Gospel is. “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Jesus is simple and straightforward in this statement. He doesn’t beat around the bush or leave room for vague dismissal. He tells us that we are supposed to love one another. No ifs, and, or buts about it. He did not say we should love each other as long as we have the same political party, skin color, or nationality. He didn’t say love each other as long as you “like” each other. Love each other. Period. The early Christian Church lived this out in such an astounding way that it was apparent to those who observed them. Tertullian, an early theologian, wrote: “See how [Christians] love one another and how they are ready to die for one another.” Would he make that same observation today? When society looks at us, the Church, do they see our love for one another overflowing and pouring out into the surrounding community? Would they find signs of life in our parish? Bustling and moving in the halls, alive with the music of contented laughter and camaraderie?
People are watching. The world observes us, especially when they find out we are practicing Catholics. They watch how we live, listen to how we speak, and examine our behavior to see what the fuss is about. What’s the big deal? Do we truly believe what we claim and behave the way we tell the world people should behave? That beautiful elderly couple reminds us that it is evident when you are with the one you love. The radiant waves of affection emanate from us, especially in our unguarded moments. Will the world see Jesus, even when we don’t know we are being watched? If a candid snapshot were taken of our community, would they see our faith lived out? In the Sanctuary of a Catholic Church, the greatest gift in the history of the world is made present to us. Do we arrive and leave the Parish in a way that tells others we are completely enamored by Jesus Christ and the Sacraments?
All too often, we live our lives as if today’s reading from John is only about a future event. That the idea of a new heaven and new earth is only eschatological, only at the end of time, Jesus on the throne, though, does not say, “Behold, I will make all things new.” Instead, he says, “Behold, I make all things new.” Not only will it happen in the future, but also right now, right here, this moment! In the Eucharist, that same Jesus comes to us, body and blood, soul and divinity. If we receive Him worthily, He begins to change us into who we were created to be. He makes us a new creation, freed from our sinful habits and thoughts.
When we leave here, do we instantly go back to the world and begin living the way we did before? Or do we walk with our hearts linked with Jesus, arm in arm? Does our laughter and joy sparkle on the evening breeze, carrying the joy and peace that Jesus brings into our lives? Are we living in each moment, aware of the presence of Jesus Christ in His love for us no matter where we are, where we are going, or even what we are going through? Jesus has given us everything we need in the teachings and Sacraments of the Church to become Saints. The only thing that can stop this bloom of faith that He has planted in our hearts from becoming a beacon of light for a broken world is we, ourselves, get in the way. The question we should meditate on this week then is this: How can I show the world that Jesus lives in me? How can I help them see the signs of life and the love He has infused in the very fabric of reality itself for each one of us?
Because the world needs Saints, now maybe more than ever.