Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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 Lamb of God
1.Coming closer: Jesus is on the move; He is working to save souls. That is his great mission. This is our mission too, from the moment of our baptism. But the “coming closer” that is proposed to us today is the attitude of being able to help people to fulfill themselves. This is not like it was in times of the Crusades when people were sought out to become Catholics in order to make the religion stronger. No! This drawing near is for people to know that they are valuable and that we care about them because they are God’s sons and daughters. We do not judge their past or their life, but rather, we come to bring Jesus to them. We come to bring that peace that fills us and that we want to share with them. Today we recognize that we need a church that is close to people, because for so long, you and I have closed in on ourselves. Today, many do not have peace in their hearts. Who are you going to reach out to today, or this year?
2.Baptism: It is the greatest sacrament. It is the door that gives us access to the other sacraments. That is why this sacrament must be highly valued. Remember that you were anointed so that no evil should harm your soul. Remember that you were bathed to cleanse you completely and to make you a spiritually pure person. Remember that a light was lit because you came to illuminate the world.
3.To learn: It will be your duty and mine to work towards getting to know Jesus. He breaks our mental frameworks and shows us a different way of thinking and living, even of living our religion. The key point is our encounter with Him. That encounter will allow us to continue to get to know Him. It is like a love relationship. He looks for us so that we may know Him and when He finds us, He takes us and touches the deepest part of our souls and hearts. That leads us to look for Him, to know Him more deeply, and to love Him, because we cannot love what we do not know.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Always remember that “something good is on the way”.
