Gospel Reflection Jan 18 – Fr. Black
Sunday, January 18
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
John 1: 29-24
Gospel:
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 heaven
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.”
Gospel Reflection:
Whenever I hear the first line of today’s Gospel, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” I imagine John the Baptist with one arm outstretched, physically pointing to Jesus. There would have been an urgency in his voice, as he truly wanted people to know who Jesus was. We are called to point to Jesus with the same urgency. This pointing will not be with our arm or finger, but with our actions, with our words, and with our lives. As our brothers and sisters observe our actions, those actions are to be modeled after Jesus Himself. The words we speak should remind others of the love and compassion of Jesus. Our actions should reflect the commands of God and the example of His Son. By acts of love for one another and by our care for those who are most in need, we point to our Savior. When they see our actions, they should also see the Lord, active in our lives. People certainly won’t say of us, “Behold the Lamb of God,” but hopefully they will say, “Look, that person truly believes in the Lord”.
Father Black