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"You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

We might very well echo those words of St. Augustine. There are many who go through life, as it were, sleepwalking until something, some event, some person challenges them by asking, "What are you looking for?" The disciples, when asked this, were really confused, didn't know what to say. And so they kind of stammered out the first thing that came to their minds. They said, "Well, where are you staying?"

Could we express what we are looking for? And yes we are, all of us, looking. We are, all of us, searching. But, for what? Some may be searching for security, and this, perhaps more than ever nowadays, security in their own persons, security in their homes, security from some unknown terrorist threat, whatever... Some are looking for security in their years of retirement. Some are looking for security, would be very happy to find security in their jobs, especially at this time, with the downturn in the economy. Yes, security is certainly something that people look for, but could we describe it as the deepest longing of the human heart? Hardly!

Some may be searching for a career that will give them real deep-down satisfaction. And their dream involves more than just a job, but embraces ideals of service to humanity, a very noble search indeed, but again, one that is limited. Some may be searching for peace, not just the absence of turmoil and strife, but some deep-down element that enables them to be at peace with themselves, at peace with others, at peace with God. And indeed you might say that this could be called a search for the Divine, a search for God.

And, on finding this God, we would then ask, "Where are you staying? Where can I find you, day or night, when I need you, when I am in trouble, when I want to share my fears and my doubts, and my joys and my expectations and my hopes? Will you be there? Where can I find you? Where are you staying?" And God says, "Come and see." And it is then that we will achieve a real peace of mind and heart, knowing that we are forgiven, knowing that we are loved, knowing that we are very, very precious in the eyes of our God. This surely is something that we are looking for, an assurance that we are "somebody," an assurance that our lives have meaning, beyond the day-to-day events that fill it. We are looking for real purpose, real meaning, real satisfaction in our lives. "You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

The human spirit, however, cannot be fully satisfied, cannot be fully at peace, if it limits itself to its own inner life. Andrew found the Messiah. His spirits soared. He had found what thousands and thousands of people had been searching for all down through the ages. And what was his first impulse? To share this good news with his own brother. So he runs and finds his brother Simon and says, "We have found the Messiah!" And he brings Simon to Jesus, so that Simon too could find a real meaning for his life, could find real peace for his restless, questing spirit.

We too must look outward. We have been given a great marvelous gift, the knowledge that God loves us, loves every single human being and that this love is expressed most powerfully in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are people, our sisters, our brothers in the human family, that have never experienced this love in their lives. They live in fear. They live in a very lonely place. Their world is very, very dark. Life has little meaning for them. Like Andrew, we should be anxious to go out and find those sisters and brothers of ours, and to say to them, "We have found the Messiah. We have found Jesus. We want you to know Him because in Him you will find rest for your restless spirit." Our lives, our words, our example should be compelling witness for the deep peace that comes from finding Jesus and staying with Jesus. He says to us, "Come and see." Amen.