Come, and You Will See

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Come, and You Will See

In John’s account of the calling of the first disciples, we find a truly transformative invitation. It is an invitation from the Lord. With the accompaniment of John the Baptist, Andrew (Simon Peter’s brother) and another unnamed disciple run up to see this “Lamb of God.” Upon meeting Jesus, the Lord poses a question to them: what are you looking for? They say in reply: where are you staying? Not a bad question at all! To that, Jesus responds, “Come, and you will see” (John 1:39). The disciples stayed with him that day. They had made their first assent of faith by responding yes to Jesus’s invitation.

Recently, I received an invitation to come and see the Barrington Biz Builders guest day meeting. The Biz Builders is “a local chapter of AmSpirit Business Connections that brings together business owners, community leaders, and professionals who are interested in building meaningful relationships, sharing referrals, and supporting one another’s businesses and organizations.” Within this forum, I was able to share with local businesses and community leaders a bit about who we are as St. Francis de Sales and what we do: our mission is Christ, and we are called to build disciples to make disciples while living a life of service modeled after Jesus. After the meeting, I got to speak with several stakeholders who expressed their support of St. Francis de Sales, especially as we work together to promote the dignity of the person and common good. I received another invitation for this past Wednesday, in which I attended the “Taxing Bodies Town Hall Forum” hosted at the Ela Area Public Library. At this event, I was able to meet local county and village officials, including the Superintendent of Lake Zurich School District 95, Dr. Kelley Gallt. Invitations are transformative; they present new opportunities; they allow for an encounter! I am so grateful to have been invited to attend these local events.

In reflecting on the gift of invitations, the opportunity to come and see, I would like to personally invite you to attend the Fall Scripture Study: Biblical Call Stories at the St. Francis de Sales Ministry Center! Having started on Wednesday, 16 September at 7pm, and meeting each week, I will lead us in an exploration of some of the timeless call stories from the Old and New Testament. Our essential question is this: How does the study of Scriptural call stories impact or shape how I understand God’s call in my life? Come and see, and know that God is absolutely involved and active in your life, still calling you to go out into the deep (c.f. Luke 5:4). In addition, please save the date as I would like to extend an invitation to our future Advent Night of Renewal! Entitled “Be Not Afraid: You are God’s Favored One”, this inspiring presentation will take place at St. Francis de Sales on 15 December from 7pm - 9pm. Led by Becca Siar (Director of Retreat Ministry and Liaison for Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of Chicago) and Fr. Bradley Zamora (Chaplain and Director, Northwestern University, Evanston), all are welcome to come and see what will be an evening of grace. Please know you are blessed and chosen by God, for we are the Lord’s!

Wishing you God’s peace and everything good, I remain – Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Christian Shiu
Administrator