A homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 18, 2026
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, John 1:29-34
It.
In the entertainment business notably, but in almost every endeavor, some people have It.
“It” is the essentially undefinable but immediately recognizable quality that makes certain people stand out in a crowd, almost as if they have permanent spotlights bathing them.
In other words, we know It when we see It.
It glows. It shimmers. It sparkles.
It is magnetic.
Star performers capitalize on their “It”; in the 1920s, actor Clara Bow was declared to be The It Girl, and the moniker gained widespread use. Over the last century, scores of people on stage and screen and sports — and lately, in politics — have developed fan bases because of their It.
Deadheads. Trekkies. Boss fans. K-Pop stans. We could spend hours listing them. How ’bout them Hoosiers?
And those idols’ It inspires their fans to follow them, near and far.
Need I say that Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, son of Mary, descendant of David, had — has — It?
Actually, IT.
Scripture reminds us about the various occasions when Jesus would be walking by a group of people — men mostly, but that was a historical and cultural thing — and he’d say, “Follow me.”
And the fishermen and the tax collectors and the ruffians and the scholars would drop everything and follow him.
Where?
Why?
For how long?
For people following someone with unlimited It, those trivial details don’t matter.
Now that we’ve experienced your It, we’ll follow you anywhere.
Jesus often told his disciples to keep it simple whenever they traveled to spread the Good News. No backpacks or money sacks; just enough clothing to stay warm and be modest. His It, his Divine Spark, his promise that God would care for them and would give them people who’d provide food and shelter was enough. More than enough.
And Scripture testifies to the truth of that.
In modern everyday life, one of two things can happen to folks who follow It People.
In the best case, It can rub off on those followers, and they develop their own pizzazz, their own attractiveness, their own distinctiveness reflective of or apart from the It of their mentors.
On the flip side, all too often, It People’s entourages wind up being remoras or leeches, and the house of cards comes tumbling down.
Yes, It can vaporize. It does vaporize.
Following Jesus is always the best-case scenario.
When we recognize Jesus for who he is, who he always was and will be, and when we allow him to use his It — the Light of Christ — to inspire us, to lead us, to energize us, to educate us, then our own newfound It can have the power to inspire others.
Our newly given It, powered by the Light of Christ and spurred to action by our belief in justice and charity, will shine through.
Our It, as expressed through our unique gifts and talents for the betterment of the Earth, will leave the place better than we found it.
Our Creator wants us to have It and use It, so that every living thing can keep the dignity it was created with.
Although It is a thing, It demands action. And IT — boldfaced and all capital letters, the IT that Jesus radiates — cannot be denied.
It.
