Hooked on Joy: Believing is Seeing

We've all heard the expression 'seeing is believing' and in Sunday's Gospel, we hear Jesus echo something like it when He says: "everyone who sees the Son and believes in him." In that day and time this certainly made great sense. If they saw Jesus, then they likely heard His teaching, witnessed miracles, experienced His charismatic presence.

For us as modern day Christians this might be a little bit of a chicken and the egg scenario. Which came first, the seeing or the believing. Often when we are beginning in our faith journey, whether that is young or old, we moved in our heart, for one reason or another, to pursue God. Maybe it was a circumstance in our life, a moment of Grace, a key decision, or even a friend. Usually, it the 'something' in our heart that gets our attention. Something that wants to believe in God. Once we delve deeper, investigate, talk about it, etc., it becomes easier to see how God is at work in our lives. So perhaps believing begets seeing.

When I have the blessing to talk to people who are coming to belief in the Lord, as we delve into what made things begin to change for them, it often does come down to something they have seen - in someone else, that makes them curious about God and if He makes a difference in people's lives. This is why, as Catholics, we receive the Eucharist. So that we might in some way show God to others so that they might see and believe. Pray for how that might happen next time you receive the Father that you do so.