The encounter between Jesus and his first disciples ends with an invitation to “come and see” where he lives. This illustrates one of the profound human truths — that we respond best to genuine experience, not description. Remember an old song from My Fair Lady called “Show me?” “Don’t talk of love lasting through time. Don’t talk of Spring, don’t talk of Fall, don’t talk at all. Show me.” Jesus didn’t just tell them he was the Messiah, he showed them by his actions. The first epistle of St. John reminds us that actions authenticate our faith. It is by loving our brothers and sisters that “the children of God are made plain.” By our love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity we show ourselves to be Christians.
