“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John the Baptist, along with the Apostles and disciples, had spent considerable time with Jesus, yet they remained unsure if he was the long-awaited Messiah. Rather than saying outright that he is the Savior, he points to the miraculous signs of his divinity: the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised. Surely, he is the one: what other proof did they need?

Our surprise at their unbelief should not be so surprising. If you were a devout Jew at that time, would you turn from your life and follow Jesus, knowing that you would be risking your family, occupation, status, and possibly your very life? Perhaps it is not so different for us today. When have you failed to follow Christ or taken the easy way out because you feared losing something, or even worse, feared losing a loved one because you remained faithful to Jesus?

There are so many distractions in the world that fight for our allegiance over our relationship with Christ and his Church. Are you “looking for another,” or realized that Jesus is the one who has come and continues to come at each mass in Holy Communion?

Lord Jesus, I know you are the One who has come to redeem the world, and I will look for no other. Distractions come and go, but you remain. Give me the grace to remain faithful to you. Amen.

Adam Owens is a member of the United States Air Force and helps with RCIA. He and his wife, Morgan, have five children and have been members of Holy Family since the summer of 2021.