We all know that change can be very challenging. Most of us, don’t like change, especially a lot of changes or BIG changes. And yet, we know that we are living in a world that is constantly changing. Sometimes these changes are huge - like the loss of a job, or a divorce or separation, or the death of a loved one. And other times, the changes that we have to deal with are much smaller - like the rise in the cost of a postage stamp, or a new stop sign on a street that we travel frequently, or when your favorite restaurant stops serving your favorite soup. There are major differences between these BIG and little changes in our lives. But they all affect us. And they keep life interesting!

I guess that I haven’t had that many really big changes in my life. There was that whole becoming a priest thing – that was pretty big. I’ve been in four different parishes since my ordination. Leaving the first two parishes was pretty traumatic for me. Leaving Our Lady of Mt. Carmel wasn’t too bad. This was because all my favorite people came with me to St. Maria Goretti. But the change that has bugged me the most over the last several years, are the changes that have taken place with telephones. I have to confess, I liked it when the telephone was hooked to the wall - at least that way you never lost it. And it used to be that when a telephone rang, you knew somebody was calling you. Now, when a phone rings it’s like “Name that Tune”. I was in the post office the other day and the woman’s in front of me purse started laughing, I’m serious. Her phone was ringing in her purse and her ring-tone was her baby laughing. Plus, most of the time, I can’t figure out how to turn on these new phones. Remember when you picked the phone up, and there was a voice there on the other line? Wasn’t that great? Now you have to press the right buttons to get to talk to people that call you. People say “I called you the other day, why didn’t you answer?” It is embarrassing to say that I couldn’t turn the phone on. I hate change. It’s probably one of the reasons that I’m Catholic.

Today, we hear this Gospel story, and there’s lots of changes and changing going on in this Gospel. These followers of John the Baptist make a major change in their lives. John the Baptist points out Jesus as the Lamb of God. And these followers of John, leave him behind and go and follow Jesus. Now, this Gospel text makes this sound pretty easy. But these disciples of John the Baptist had been modeling their entire lives on the preaching of John. They had learned his ways. They had bought into his theology. They prayed the way that John prayed. And then one day, all of that changed, and they started to follow Jesus, literally. Jesus has to ask them who they are and what are they doing. That would have been a little embarrassing! And then, Jesus simply says, “Come and See!” And with that, everything is different. They have a new Teacher, a new Way, and a new Life. One of these guys who undergoes this radical change in his life is Andrew, Simon Peter’s little brother. Andrew finds Jesus, and one of the first things he does is, he takes Jesus to meet his brother. Jesus invites Simon to “Come and See” also. He changes Simon’s name to Peter. And so the story begins. That’s really kind of a gutsy move, isn’t it? You meet someone and right away you give them a new name, a new identity. But that’s exactly what this is about here. The name change is a sign of just how BIG of a change is taking place in these people’s lives. Andrew and Simon Peter would never be the same again. That one day that is described in today’s Gospel, changed everything for both of them and many others. And their lives would never be the same; they were changed forever. Do we realize what’s going on here? This is not just important for Andrew and Peter. It is also important for all of us.

My brothers and sisters, today, this same Jesus wants to change you and me. Hopefully, He likes our names a little better than He like Simon’s name, but pretty much every other part of our lives is now up for change. What kind of change is God asking of you today? What does He want us to do differently? As we hear Jesus’ words “Come and you will see”, what does He want to show us? What’s He got planned for us? What changes are in store in 2006 and beyond. This Gospel is an invitation to change. In Christian-speak, it is an invitation to conversion. Conversion is good. It’s what we are all called to. You know, God is not done with any of us yet. If God were done with us, we’d be dead. I think everybody still alive here today. Then, there still must be things that God needs us to change in our lives. How could we pray more?

How could we care more for our brothers and sisters in need? How could we grow in our Faith in 2006?

Jesus says “Come and you will see”. It was amazing for Andrew and Peter. How much more amazing can it be for you and me?

A lot of us don’t like change – not with our jobs, not with our religion, and not with our phones. With Jesus, there’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s only going to help us to keep getting better.

May God bless us this week in our lives, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!