“Come, and you will see. “So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.”’
John 1:39

John’s Gospel is so precise about the exact time the apostles stayed with Jesus and came to understand that he was the Messiah. How did John know that?

I have always been amused by this scripture. And it makes me think: What time was it when I first saw God? When I first understood that I was being called to glory? Here’s one I can think of: When I was just a kid in grammar school, my hero was a priest that I knew. The way he loved and cared for people was amazing to me and I wanted to be just like him. Another moment came later in life. As a young adult in formation to become a Maryknoll priest, I was assigned to Peru for overseas training. The first time I got off the boat, after crossing Lake Titicaca, I knew immediately that I had come home. And eventually that’s where I would spend 20 years of my life, serving the Aymaran community and experiencing the power of
God’s presence.

In the end, the exact moment each of us comes to know God may not be as important as the journey we’re on… the lifetime we devote to living the Gospel. We are the apostles of today, longing for the completion that only God can provide. When we are fulfilled, two all-consuming realities give us comfort: We not only rest well in God’s hands, but by sharing our joy we are building God’s kingdom on earth.

However we choose to share God’s love—with acts of kindness, with the ability to forgive, with understanding—we know that our relationships will only deepen. And so will our faith. We just need to be open to God’s many invitations to grow in love and compassion. In my experience, they happen all the time.

Friend, St. Augustine says we are restless until we rest in God. You might not remember the exact day or hour that you came home to God. But what you do remember will be the joy of knowing that God’s grace lives within you, now and always.