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Gospel: John 1: 29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What happens when we knock over a bowl of cereal?
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The milk spills across the table.
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And what do we do in order to clean it up?
We rush into the kitchen and grab a roll of paper towels.
I prefer Bounty, “the quilted quicker picker upper.”
They’ll absorb anything.
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Think of Jesus like a roll of Bounty paper towels.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist calls him, “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
Meaning, Jesus has come to clean up the mess we’ve made. Any arguments at home, lies we’ve told, leftover grudges or hurt feelings from the holidays.
He wants to wipe them all away like a puddle of spilt milk, because he is the, “quilted, quicker picker upper.”
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In order to forgive us, it helps approaching him in confession.
Will we?
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Image credits: (1) Pantocrator, St. Catherine’s Monastery (2) BJ’s Wholesale Club, Bounty (3) iStock