Behold!

John was standing with two of his disciples,

and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,

"Behold, the Lamb of God."

The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. (Jn. 1:35-42)

Reading today's Gospel makes me wonder: 

• If John the Baptist had not pointed Jesus out, would Andrew (one of the "two disciples") have completely missed an encounter with the Son of God? 

Most likely!  For Andrew, it took someone to "point out" God because Andrew wasn't yet able to recognize God on his own. And, thanks to John the Baptist's nudge, Andrew not only discovered God's Son, but he also started on the road to becoming a disciple of Jesus.

Like Andrew, our children often need someone to "point out" God to them. Thankfully, each day is filled with moments of beauty, love, happiness, and even sadness-- moments that reveal God in all of His glory-- but that require a nudge for our children to recognize. Since we want to start our children on the road to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus, it's important that we begin to "nudge" them toward acknowledging God's presence. This kind of loving and tender attention is necessary to grow faith-filled children.  As Blessed John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio, part of the role of parents is "to illuminate and organize temporal realities according to the plan of God, Creator and Redeemer." (#5)

Image: Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Here are some everyday events in which we might consider saying "Behold, the Lamb of God!" to our children:

• The beauty of nature-- An amazing sunrise or sunset, a rainstorm, an amazing view.
• Family gatherings-- birthdays, anniversaries, sacraments, a nice dinner out together, a vacation or holiday.
• Friends-- The help of a true friend, a playful afternoon, a difficult conversation that leads to reconciliation.

How often do we "point out" Jesus to our children and students? What are some ways you do this for your children?  I look forward to reading your comments sharing the ways you say "Behold, the Lamb of God!" to your children and/or students.