Come

Reflections on the Feast of St. Dominic
Composed by: Sr. Caterina
 
Today’s readings for the Feast of Saint Dominic have a word in common:  COME.  Moses, Aaron and Miriam are commanded by God to “Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.” (Numbers 12:3) and in the gospel Peter says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, “come”(Matthew 14:28).

“Come” is such a small word.  It is only four letters long, but the implications are great if we pay attention to the context in which it is used.  It is also a prolific word that is used 1894 times in scripture.
Let us ponder some of the meanings attributed to “come”.

In the case of Miriam and Aaron, God was calling them to task regarding their envy of Moses and his face-to-face encounters with God.  In this instance, “come” was more a stern command where God summoned Miriam and Aaron to account for their unholy attitude.

In the gospel reading, Peter and the disciples were on a “sinking ship,”so to speak, that was being buffeted about by the wind.  It must have been a life-threatening situation as these were seasoned fishermen who were used to erratic weather on the local seas.They see Jesus approaching the boat by walking on the water.  They think he is a ghost.  A terrified Peter asks “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.  Jesus said, ‘come.’”   This occurrence of “come” is in the form of granting permission to a plea from Peter.  Jesus issued this “come” to challenge Peter’s faith.

Have you had a conversation with someone who used the phrase, “Come, now” in reference to being at odds with something you shared?  This “come” is a gentle reproof asking us to reassess our thoughts or motives.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  (Matthew 11:28)  In this instance, “come” is a loving invitation to an intimate relationship with Jesus.  Walk beside him; draw near; sit by his side; learn from him; and let him ease our burdens.
 
No matter the context in which we hear the word, “come,” it is a verb – a call to action.  When “come” is used, there is always someone calling and someone being called.  There is a “call andresponse” nature at work here.  Jesus calls us toward “something” or to take “some action” and it is up to us to respond and take the proffered invitation toward him.  When we recognize the call to “come,” the next step is to prayerfully say, “Here I am, Lord” and then discern, “To what are you calling me, Lord?” 
 
What kind of “come” is the Lord offering to you?

• Is it to amend a sinful behavior or unholy attitude?
• Could it be a calling forth to deepen your faith in God?
• Perhaps it is a gentle reproof to rethink some unholy patterns into which we have fallen.
• Might it be the loving invitation to draw near to the Lord to find comfort, love, hope or solace?

 
All of the above examples of “come” have been issued from God toward a specific person or to us in general.
 
There is yet another instance of “come” that is worthy of reflection.  In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”  With His Incarnation, Jesus took action at His Father’s bidding and came to us in order to save us from our sins.  A call came from broken humanity who knew not the terrible condition of our sinful state and yet, our magnanimous God responded to this “come.”  This is the greatest call and response ever witnessed.  Ever.
 
Our relationship with God is not one sided where He is the only one to say “come.”  We, too, can issue the invitation for God to come to us.  We can call upon God to “come” and help us to amend our lives or to respond to our petitions on behalf of others.  In either scenario, He comes.  Oh, how He comes!  When we humbly call upon God’s mercy, He responds.  His response may be in ways that we do not understand nor as quickly we want to see a response, but He does come.
 
When God beckons us to “come,” to what is He calling us and are we willing respondents?  Knowing that God will respond, into what part of your life would you like to invite God to “come” and abide with you? 
 
Hint:  He wants to come and be with you in every way and in all things!
 
Reference: 
Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard/Catholic Edition bible.
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