We prayed singing the refrain to our Responsorial Psalm – “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your Will.” But have we really, come to do the Lord’s Will? Have we come here today to commit or recommit to doing God’s Will each day we are here on earth?
A key phrase in our scripture readings is “Behold, the Lamb of God.” We are so familiar with the phrase “Lamb of God” that we hear it without listening to it! St. John’s Gospel develops a lot of our Christology. John the Baptist proclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The Gospel writer tells us that John the Baptist recognized JESUS as the Son of God and announces it to the world! Faith comes from hearing the WORD of God in our heart and allowing it to determine our being! We are servants of God called to obey God’s WORD; to obey the Lamb of God by the lives we lead.
The reading from Isaiah foreshadows Jesus the Son of God, the servant of God. Through Jesus the Son of God, the Lamb of God “…we can hope for forgiveness of our sins and [a] right relationship with God.” [America Magazine, “What John saw” January 2008]
Paul reminds us that we are children of God blessed with God’s Grace and Peace. While St. Francis de Sales teaches us that we are called to be holy and exercise that holiness “… in different ways” in our family & our job, in everything.
Behold God in your midst … Maybe these two vignettes can help us understand today’s Scriptures.
“An eight-year old boy is facing surgery & he asks his doctor, ‘What’s it like to die?’
Neither the doctor nor anyone else on the medical staff answered his question directly – but one hospital employee did. She isn’t a doctor or nurse or child psychologist. She cleans the floors. One night the boy asked her, ‘Are you afraid of dying?’ She put down her mop … and [replied], ‘Yes, I am, but I do something about it.’ She tells the boy that she believes in God and finds comfort in the Words of Jesus. She talked to the boy as an equal, not as a superior; they talked for a long time. She put the boy at peace simply by listening to him.”
Behold, the Lamb of God …” [Adopted from Connections, January 2008]
“He always loved to draw, his sketch book was a kind of retreat, a place that was his alone.
One day an artist friend happened to see his sketches. She recognized his talent and encouraged him to develop it. She offered suggestions on technique & style, he soaked it all up. He enrolled at an art institute & sees the world in different eyes. [Adopted from Table Talk, pp. 123-124]
“Behold, the Lamb of God” The Spirit of God that “came down like a dove” over the Lamb of God, Jesus. Our Baptism calls to be saints - what does that mean, it means to be all that we were created to be. “To be who we are and be that well.” [St. Francis de Sales]
We are children of God baptized to be saints. How? By following God’s Will and Jesus gave us the Beatitudes to do just that.
The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote, "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." The challenge in our lives is to recognize God’s grace in our daily activities. May the Holy Spirit “come down and remain” on us, directing us to embrace the full meaning & promise of our own baptism.
Today spend some time reflecting whether Jesus Christ, is center of your life, are you living your Baptismal promises?
May God Be Praised.
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