Homily: January 4, 2025, Feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton (Come and See)

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 “He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying.”

“Come and See” is often an invitation to take an personal exploration and not just hear about something from others. 

Many religious congregations use similar programs for those who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, because often it is better to have an experience than simply reading or hearing about it before making a decision with regards the consecrated life.

I participated in one such program before. At that time, I had absolutely no interest in joining the priesthood. I went because one of my best friends had asked me to accompany him to that three-day event. And guess what? Later that same year, I entered the seminary.

The disciples in today’s Gospel wanted to know where Jesus was staying, instead of telling them, Jesus invited them to ‘Come and you will see.”

Whatever it was that they saw, it was convincing enough for them to want to stay with Him, to follow Him as His disciples and to believe that He is the Messiah.

What did they see?

Today, we commemorate the feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American to be canonized a saint. She was a remarkable woman and a pioneer of the Catholic Church in the United States. She founded the first religious congregation in America - the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, established the first free Catholic school, and started the first Catholic orphanage.

I read a reflection about her on the Franciscan Media website:

“Elizabeth Ann Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament.”

Elizabeth Ann Seton was born an Episcopalian but converted to Catholicism in 1805.

What did she see which led to join the Catholic Church and fueled her intense expression of faith?

1. Her belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

2. Her devotion to the Blessed Mother.

3. Her conviction that the Catholic Church traced back to the apostles and to Christ.

Her conversion came at a great personal cost. Many of her friends and family rejected her, but she remained steadfast in her faith.

Our Lord invites us to “Come and See” and be truly converted, not just in name but in our hearts. And like the apostles and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we will persevere in our faith, to await receiving the crown of glory at the end of our lives.

Amen.


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