"Yesterday we spoke about knowing who we aren't. Today, the scriptures tell us who we are, and how we change. If you want to summar...
"Yesterday we spoke about knowing who we aren't. Today, the scriptures tell us who we are, and how we change. If you want to summarize the Christian life in three steps, they are right here in our readings: Beloved, Behold, and Become.
First, Beloved. St. John cries out in the first reading, 'See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.' He doesn't say we are 'slaves of God' or 'employees of God.' We are children. We are the Beloved. This isn't a title we earned; it is a gift we received. Before you do any work today, before you check a single email, you need to settle into the reality that you are deeply loved by the Creator of the universe. That is your baseline.
Second, Behold. John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and says, 'Behold, the Lamb of God.' He didn't just glance at Jesus; he beheld Him. He looked with intention. In our modern life, we glance at everything—our phones, the traffic, the news—but we rarely behold. To behold means to stop and let the reality of something sink in. John beheld the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He realized that this man, Jesus, was the solution to the brokenness of humanity.
This leads to the third word: Become. There is a spiritual principle: You become what you behold. St. John writes, 'We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' If you behold the news all day, you become anxious. If you behold your neighbor’s success, you become jealous. But if you behold the Lamb of God, you become holy. You become pure, as He is pure. We start to look like the family we belong to.
Action Step: Here is a challenge for your Saturday. Find three minutes of silence. Do not pray a list of requests. Instead, simply 'Behold.' Picture Jesus, the Lamb of God, looking at you. Let yourself be seen by Him, and look back at Him. Let that gaze remind you that you are Beloved, and let it help you Become more like Him."
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