“What are you seeking”? (John 1:38) Jesus’ ‘Magic’ Question

Painting: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, a famous painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio, circa 1602

“Boring, boring, boring!” puffed the kid as he conjured up his own trinitarian formula while making the sign of the cross in a semi-defiant manner.

I laughed when the boss shared this anecdote.

And then I was asked, “Nick, why do you think that’s the case?”

I replied without skipping a beat.

“That’s because we are giving them answers to questions they are not asking.”

It was the boss’ turn to laugh.

“The job’s yours!” And so, I have spent the last decade keeping the following axiom firmly in my mind whenever I catechise teenagers.

“Jesus Christ is the answer, but what is the question?”

And two other axioms follow from this.

1) Is it true?

2) Why should I care?

Keeping these three axioms in mind has been transformative in my own catechetical experience. And I would like to share how this impacted how I conducted the first session of the year titled “Introduction to Ordinary Time.”

The session title was ordinary sounding, if you ask me.

But it made sense. The liturgical calendar beckons.

And I realised that the Church, in her pedagogical wisdom, had already provided a ‘magic question’ that meets the three axioms I had highlighted.

It is found in the Gospel reading of the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B.

The Gospel passage was taken from John 1:35-42.

It is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Two of his would-be disciples were following Jesus. And the text says that:

“Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, “What do you seek?” (John 1:38)

In his book titled “What do you seek, the questions of Jesus as challenge and promise”, Jesuit Priest Fr. Michael Buckley S.J. observes that the question of Jesus cannot be understood apart from simultaneously noting that the gaze of Jesus was upon the disciples when it was asked. He “saw them following”.

Fr. Buckley quotes Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who, drawing inspiration from this passage, instructs those about to undergo the spiritual exercises to do the following:

“I will raise my mind to consider: How it is that God our Lord is gazing at me.”

Painting: Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Claudio Coello (1642–1693) 

After the passage was proclaimed, I taught the class.

The very first words out of Jesus’ mouth were not “repent and believe in the Gospel”. Nor was it even “for God so love the world that he gave his only Son”.

Rather, they were an ordinary question, very suitable for Ordinary Time, namely:

“What do you seek?”

Imagine that Jesus is indeed gazing at you and asking you this question.

What would your answer be?

Take some time to ask yourself and share this with a friend.

The power of this question lies in its ability to engage anybody regardless of their faith level.

The participant who takes catechism seriously could answer, “I want to deepen my relationship with God.”

The cynical participant, if honest, may answer, “I want to avoid my parents’ nagging.”

The one in the middle might say, “I want to catch up with my friends.”

The question need not even be about catechism.

Someone may well answer, “I want to eat Roti Prata” Or even “I want to sleep.”

Regardless of context or even starting point, all questions finally terminate at the following answer:

“I want to be happy.”

I continued to teach, “Aristotle says that, ‘All men (and women) seek one goal: happiness.’”

“Happiness is the one thing that you can choose for itself, everything else is chosen for the sake of happiness.”

“Suppose you say that you want an ice cream, and I ask why. You might say “so that I will get a sugar rush”. Eventually, you will have to answer, “so that I can be happy.”

When asking this question, Jesus already knew the eventual answer.

What he was really getting at is for His disciples, and for us to clarify our choices. That is, will what we currently seek make us truly happy? And it is Ordinary Time; the Liturgical colour is green, indicating a time for growth. It would be good if we can take the time to grow in becoming more discerning in our choices, so that they may make us truly happy.”

The ice was broken.

The teens had fun sharing with each other their quirky stories of “what do you seek?”

And they were more engaged and ready for an answer.

Happiness is the thing they care about.

They know from experience that some things make for true happiness, while some lead to dead ends.

They are thus open to hearing what the Church has to say about this.

And finally, if it was Jesus Christ who asked the question, he might lead them to an answer that can satisfy.

In my next column, I will share how this session unfolded as we used the work of Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., which introduces 4 Categories of Happiness.

May the gaze of Jesus and his question also stir your heart as it did the disciples at Galilee.