Category: Uncategorized

***

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.

***

***

The first time John the Baptist lays eyes on Jesus in John’s Gospel, he cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

The priest repeats these same words every time he presents the Eucharist to the faithful at Mass. So, where do these words come from? Or, what, exactly, do they mean?

As with many questions about Christianity, the answer is rooted in the Old Testament. 

***

The Old Testament is a story of covenants – or agreements – between God and his people, Israel. 

After Israel officially became a nation, God made his first covenant with them, the 10 Commandments. So long as the Jews followed the commandments faithfully, they would remain bound and blessed as God’s people.

However, if the covenant were broken, then, according to covenantal law, blood had to be shed, which is why animal sacrifice develops in the Book of Leviticus.

Each time Israel broke one of the Commandments, they had to atone for their sins by offering a sacrifice. Poor lambs!

Although this sounds strange to us today, God was using this ancient sacrificial system to prepare the way for his Son, who in John’s words is, “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

At the Cross, Jesus becomes the spotless Lamb, the God-man, who atones for the sins of the entire world by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice.

What he has left behind is a new, eternal covenant sealed in his Blood: the Eucharist, which renews God’s commitment to us – and ours to him – daily.

***

The next time you are at Mass, look upon Jesus with eyes of faith. There he is in that little Host, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Yours and mine.

Now and forever.

Thanks be to God.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Behold the Lamb of God, Fr. Gabriel Stack (2) Van Eyck, Lamb of God (3) The Catholic Leader

***

Gospel: John 1:19-28

This is the testimony of John. 
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
“I am not the Christ.” 
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?” 
And he said, “I am not.” 
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.” 
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? 
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.” 
Some Pharisees were also sent. 
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” 
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” 
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

“Who are you?” This was what every Jew and scholar of the Law wanted to know about John the Baptist. 

“Who are you? Why are you here? What’s your purpose?”

Questions we all ask about ourselves.

While the answer for each person is unique, there are four things we can all say about ourselves.

***

We are infinitely loved by God. So loved that Jesus offered himself for us on a cross. It pains me to encounter people in ministry who still struggle to accept this truth: no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, we are loved.

We are irreplaceable. There never has been and never will be another you. God makes each human being with a unique fingerprint, a singular combination of gifts, talents, personality, and purpose. Why try to be anyone else?

We are part of God’s family, the Church. Thus, we are never alone; we are all parts of a greater whole – and a beautiful, divine one at that.

We are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Through baptism, God makes his home within us. Thus, we should always treat our bodies – and that of other’s – accordingly.

***

So, “Who are you?”

We are infinitely loved, unique, and holy, each with our own path to walk, much like John the Baptist.

Take a few moments today to bring this to prayer. Ask the Lord to reveal why he created you – and what your purpose is today.

In the grand scheme of things, every life is meant to contribute towards the same end: preparing the way of the Lord.

***

***

Image credits: (1) FreePik (2) Saint John the Baptist, Bartolome Esteban Murillo (3) squijoo.com

***

Gospel: Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,  
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,  
they made known the message  
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Under the best of circumstances, a baby is the fruit of a love affair. A profoundly intimate encounter between two separate persons with passion so strong that new life emerges.

This is certainly true in the case of the Christ-child. This weak, warm, wrinkled infant lying in a manger is the fruit of God’s love affair with humanity. 

If this doesn’t baffle the mind and arouse the heart, then I wonder if we’ve ever truly understood. God is so in love with us that, in Jesus, he has become one of us – a vulnerable, defenseless child. 

This was no rash decision; it was the fruit of a long, storied history whereby God sought our love, but time and time again we turned away from him.

Taking on flesh was a last resort, a feet-first, all or nothing gamble for our love, which cost God everything, and us, nothing.

***

God’s pursuit of our hearts began in the Garden of Eden. 

God gave Adam everything imaginable – a perfect garden, where he walked and talked with God, gave names to all of creation, and had dominion over all of it. Somehow, it was not enough. Adam was lonely; he needed an equal.

So, God created Eve, who became in Adam’s words, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Together, this new couple’s mission remained the same – to love God the way he loved them.

Yet they did the opposite, disobeying the only commandment asked of them – not to eat from the tree of knowledge. 

In spite of their infidelity, God did not divorce himself from his creation; he was too in love with us. Yes, he cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. 

But then he gifted us with the Ten Commandments, which were instructions on how to love him in return – first written on stone, later written upon our hearts. Still, humanity broke that covenant time and time again.

So, God decided to humble himself to the point of becoming a baby, placing himself in the arms of his tired, weeping, joyful mother, Mary, asking only that she – and eventually we – would love him in return.

***

Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, which centers on our belief that, that first Christmas night, God finally felt what he longed for since the Garden of Eden – the full devotion of at least one of his creatures. 

As Mary gazed upon the Christ-child, she, “kept all of these things in her heart,” as she burned with love, adoration, devotion, and wonder. We see that devotion play out over the next thirty-three years as she follows Jesus faithfully to the foot of the Cross and beyond.

Mary loved him, even when she didn’t understand him.

Shouldn’t we?

***

This is all God will ever ask of us – to love him as Mary did, with all of our mind, heart, body, and soul. It’s, perhaps, the only New Year’s Resolution we need to make. 

To break with our shared human tendencies of growing away from God, of trying to take control, of pushing him to the passenger seat whether we’re eating in Eden, wandering in the desert, or inhabiting the ordinary suburbs of America.

Allow the Word to take flesh in our hearts, giving him all he desires in return: 

Love.

***

Much like bringing a child into this world, religion is ultimately a love affair with God, the fruit of which inspires charity, builds belief, and welcomes redemption. 

May that love ever grow in us, in me.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Catholic Apostolate Center (3) Francis Asbury Society