Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

If you were at the Cathedral this morning for mass, this reflection might sound familiar. It's very similar to Fr. Greg's homily this morning!

While I do strive to read and pray with the Bible daily, I don't pretend to be a Bible expert. I don't pretend to recognize or understand all of the nuances that go in between the symbolism, the cultural context, and the stories and events that we read in the Bible. So something like today's Gospel reading can be rather confusing. Doesn't John know his own cousin? Didn't he leap in Elizabeth's womb when he recognized the Messiah within the womb of His mother? Why did he need to send people to ask about it?

Funny enough, that was Fr. Greg's question too when he read this Gospel in preparation for today's homily. As St. Paul says, scripture is sharper than any two edged sword and the Holy Spirit used this passage differently for each of us. 

Since I'm not Fr. Greg (and I don't remember the homily well enough... oops), I'll just tell you about the fruit of my prayer.

As someone who is very evangelization minded, what I saw John doing is sending others to encounter Jesus for themselves. The scripture only says, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'" While On the surface it might seem like John is asking for himself, I don't think we can be sure of that assumption. John knows Jesus. John lived his entire life to prepare all of Israel for Jesus. He came to testify to the light though he was not the light. 

The thing about testimony is that they're only one piece in the conversion puzzle. I can tell a blind person about light, but they'd never understand it unless they encountered it. Testimony is meant to draw others to encounter Jesus. I think John is sowing the seeds of encounter by sending his two disciples to Jesus. 

This challenged me to reflect on my life and testimony. Truly, I know Jesus. He is my beloved! While I am yet a poor sinner, Jesus loves me and seeks to heal me every day of my life. Am I intentional about telling people that? Most everyone in my life I'm sure knows that I am a Christian and a Catholic, but that's not enough. My testimony is fruitless unless it invites others to encounter Jesus also.

So what does that look like in real life? It doesn't necessarily mean doning camel hair and eating bugs, but it does mean living differently from the rest of the world. It means naming Jesus as the cause of your joy. It means building authentic relationships with the people around you, from your friends and relatives to the person who hands you your morning coffee in the Charlotte's drive-thru. It can be done! Evangelization happens through relationship. When you have a relationship of mutual trust, then invite them to explore the idea of Jesus Christ. Don't be threatening or judgmental, but share the life He gives you. He'll take care of the encounter.