Beloved in Christ,
John the Baptist's testimony in this Sunday's gospel reveals Jesus to Israel as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). This testimony is the subject of our reflection this Sunday. What is the meaning and implication of John's message regarding Jesus' identity? There are three parts to John's declaration. John points to Jesus as "the Lamb of God," addresses the problem of "the sin" and how it pertains to "the world."
First, "the sin." Here, John speaks of sin in the singular, with an article preceding it. He is speaking here more than individual sin and sinner, though that sense is not excluded. There is a universal approach to sin here. Sin is a translation of the Greek hamartia, which means missing the mark when an archer aims at an object. This sense of sin means that humanity has fallen short in all ways in its relationship with God; sin has ruptured that relationship. The nature of sin is such that it removes us from friendship with God, and we become vulnerable and lost as a result of the breakage from God's love. Sin has the worst form of consequences, temporal and eternal, than we often imagine or admit.
Second, "of the world." The sin committed is universal, and all humanity participates in this act of disobedience against God. All the world has sinned. The baptism of Jesus that John spoke about and which we celebrated last Sunday initiated the process of saving us, the entire world, from the destructive impact of sin on the world. There is a multiplicity and ambiguity in the use of the word "world" in the Bible. There is a sense in which God loves the world, there is another understanding of the world as set against God, and there is the notion of the world that God created and came to save. The whole world, believers as well as unbelievers in God, has fallen away from God and lost its bearings. The world is a mess, and it cannot save itself; only God can liberate it from the negative hold of sin. This is where Jesus comes in.
Third, "the Lamb of God." Now comes Jesus, the savior of the world from sin. But, why "Lamb"? The figure of the lamb is a signification of weakness, not strength. Why not Lion instead of Lamb? The answer to this is found in Israel's liturgical act of offering a perpetual sacrifice to God as an act of worship, communion, and dedication. John the Baptist is from a priestly tribe; it is reasonable to assume that he's well informed on the offering of unblemished lambs to God twice a day in the temple as a sin offering. The lamb of sacrifice that the Israelites have been offering to God as an expiation for sin is now revealed in its fullness in Jesus, the Son of God, the glory and the light of God. "Behold, the Lamb of God," John says.
John makes Him known so that all may have communion with him and follow him as he confers on us a new designation, children of God. John helps us to identify Jesus as the new Lamb of the Passover, who comes to offer himself as the true sacrifice that saves all who believe in God from sin and its consequences. The church makes the priest play the role of John the Baptist at Mass. At Mass, the priest points and directs our eyes to Jesus, the Lamb, who is present sacramentally, real and substantially, at every Mass. When the priest repeats the words of John the Baptist at Mass, he performs a truly priestly role- he points to us the true Lamb, the true Sacrifice, the one who takes away the sin of the world. I encourage you to gaze on the true Lamb of God when the priest raises Him at mass today, just before communion, and says, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world."
Let us, like John the Baptist, show Jesus, the Savior of the world, to others. As people called to be holy, who "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1 Corinthians 1: 2), let us reveal the Light that saves from the darkness of sin to others, "to the ends of the earth" (Is. 49: 6). Look up at Jesus at Mass today, He is revealed that we might have communion with him, follow him closely and show him to others in every way possible.
I invite you all to join in the prayers for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life as we participate in the nationwide vigil on Thursday, during our evening mass and Eucharistic adoration that follows. Please plan to attend this solemn Holy Hour of prayer.
The week of prayer for Christian Unity begins today. Let us pray that all of us Christians may be one in witnessing to the Gospel of Christ.
I wish you a joyful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, a Baptist pastor and civil rights icon whose teachings and advocacy shed light on the essence of Catholic Social Teaching (CST)- the respect for human dignity and the promotion of justice and the common good in all their ramifications.
With Joy,
Fr. Alayode, OP
John the Baptist's testimony in this Sunday's gospel reveals Jesus to Israel as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). This testimony is the subject of our reflection this Sunday. What is the meaning and implication of John's message regarding Jesus' identity? There are three parts to John's declaration. John points to Jesus as "the Lamb of God," addresses the problem of "the sin" and how it pertains to "the world."
First, "the sin." Here, John speaks of sin in the singular, with an article preceding it. He is speaking here more than individual sin and sinner, though that sense is not excluded. There is a universal approach to sin here. Sin is a translation of the Greek hamartia, which means missing the mark when an archer aims at an object. This sense of sin means that humanity has fallen short in all ways in its relationship with God; sin has ruptured that relationship. The nature of sin is such that it removes us from friendship with God, and we become vulnerable and lost as a result of the breakage from God's love. Sin has the worst form of consequences, temporal and eternal, than we often imagine or admit.
Second, "of the world." The sin committed is universal, and all humanity participates in this act of disobedience against God. All the world has sinned. The baptism of Jesus that John spoke about and which we celebrated last Sunday initiated the process of saving us, the entire world, from the destructive impact of sin on the world. There is a multiplicity and ambiguity in the use of the word "world" in the Bible. There is a sense in which God loves the world, there is another understanding of the world as set against God, and there is the notion of the world that God created and came to save. The whole world, believers as well as unbelievers in God, has fallen away from God and lost its bearings. The world is a mess, and it cannot save itself; only God can liberate it from the negative hold of sin. This is where Jesus comes in.
Third, "the Lamb of God." Now comes Jesus, the savior of the world from sin. But, why "Lamb"? The figure of the lamb is a signification of weakness, not strength. Why not Lion instead of Lamb? The answer to this is found in Israel's liturgical act of offering a perpetual sacrifice to God as an act of worship, communion, and dedication. John the Baptist is from a priestly tribe; it is reasonable to assume that he's well informed on the offering of unblemished lambs to God twice a day in the temple as a sin offering. The lamb of sacrifice that the Israelites have been offering to God as an expiation for sin is now revealed in its fullness in Jesus, the Son of God, the glory and the light of God. "Behold, the Lamb of God," John says.
John makes Him known so that all may have communion with him and follow him as he confers on us a new designation, children of God. John helps us to identify Jesus as the new Lamb of the Passover, who comes to offer himself as the true sacrifice that saves all who believe in God from sin and its consequences. The church makes the priest play the role of John the Baptist at Mass. At Mass, the priest points and directs our eyes to Jesus, the Lamb, who is present sacramentally, real and substantially, at every Mass. When the priest repeats the words of John the Baptist at Mass, he performs a truly priestly role- he points to us the true Lamb, the true Sacrifice, the one who takes away the sin of the world. I encourage you to gaze on the true Lamb of God when the priest raises Him at mass today, just before communion, and says, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world."
Let us, like John the Baptist, show Jesus, the Savior of the world, to others. As people called to be holy, who "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1 Corinthians 1: 2), let us reveal the Light that saves from the darkness of sin to others, "to the ends of the earth" (Is. 49: 6). Look up at Jesus at Mass today, He is revealed that we might have communion with him, follow him closely and show him to others in every way possible.
I invite you all to join in the prayers for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life as we participate in the nationwide vigil on Thursday, during our evening mass and Eucharistic adoration that follows. Please plan to attend this solemn Holy Hour of prayer.
The week of prayer for Christian Unity begins today. Let us pray that all of us Christians may be one in witnessing to the Gospel of Christ.
I wish you a joyful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, a Baptist pastor and civil rights icon whose teachings and advocacy shed light on the essence of Catholic Social Teaching (CST)- the respect for human dignity and the promotion of justice and the common good in all their ramifications.
With Joy,
Fr. Alayode, OP
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