Again this Sunday we hear the voice of John the Baptist. Yet, it is not the clarion call from the desert to repent but rather a specific reference to the one who was baptized by John, Jesus. It indicates a confusion among the early Christians as to who exactly was to be followed - John or Jesus - and as John points to Jesus he reinforces the prevailing truth: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one . . ." (Jn 1: 29-30).
Living so many centuries later with the benefit of revelation, a developed theology, and a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, we might find this obvious about Jesus. But, do we really? If John points the way for those of his time, he does the same for us. What is our response? "Yes, I know that already," then go on about our business? Is this just information about Jesus that we've heard many times before or is it a call to deeper conversion of my life?
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011914.cfm
I found this meditation recently and thought I would share it with you in preparing for this coming Sunday:
The Lamb of God
In front of the power and armies of Caesar,
in front of their mighty weapons,
stands a lamb, the lamb of God.
What can this lamb do?
The lamb will break down the walls of fear, of aggression,
of violence, of sin
which imprison people in themselves
and incite them to seek their own glory.
He will liberate in each person a new life of communion with God,
with other people and with what is deepest in the self,
sowing seeds for universal peace.
In our world today there are some prophets like John the Baptizer
who are spectacular.
They prepare our hearts to receive Jesus.
but when Jesus comes, he comes not as a spectacular God of power,
but as a gentle lamb, the Chosen One of God, the Beloved.
He comes in a very simple way, opening our hearts to people
with the breath of peace and a quiet shaft of light, a gentle kiss.
He comes into that part of our being that is our treasure,
that sacred space within us,
hidden under all the fears, walls and anger in us
so that we may grow in the spirit of love.
Yesterday, as today, John the Baptizer is calling people to be attentive
to the quiet voice and presence of Jesus,
calling us to trust him
and to enter into friendship with him.
We are being called to be gentle followers of the Lamb,
not people of power.
(Jean Vanier, Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John)
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