When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). How did John recognize Jesus? After all, he confessed that he didn’t know him before—or at least that he didn’t know that Jesus was the chosen Messiah. What happened?
John saw Jesus with the eyes of his heart. He could see who Jesus really was because the Holy Spirit revealed it to him. We might say that the Holy Spirit invited John to see and that John accepted the invitation.
Day after day, the Holy Spirit invites us to see Jesus as well. When we accept his invitation in prayer, we give the Spirit the freedom to open our eyes and our hearts. Our yes tells the Spirit, “Please show Jesus more clearly to me because I want to know him more. I want his presence, his power, and his mercy in my life.”
Isn’t it amazing how we can read so much into what we see with our physical eyes? This happens when an accountant reads a company’s balance sheet, when a doctor reads the results of a blood test, or when a father sees a confused look on his teenager’s face. Just as a doctor has been trained to know what to look for, so our minds can be formed to recognize spiritual realities. John was able to recognize Jesus in large part because he was committed to God and eager to do his will. His heart was soft, and his mind was alert.
Today, let’s be alert to God. Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus each morning. Let’s pray as often as we can, persevere as much as we can, and stay as peaceful as we can all day long.St. Catherine of Siena learned to stay close to God by simply repeating: “God all, I nothing.” This was how she came into God’s presence and recognized him. May this be our disposition as well!
“Lord, open my eyes so that I can see you.”
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
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