SECOND SUNDAY OF YEAR "A"

Sunday 2 Cycle A

1 Cor. 1, 1 -3

Introduction:   In his first letter to the Christians of Corinth, of which three verses of the first chapter are assigned for today, St. Paul exhorts his congregation to avoid factions and immorality. He affirms the dignity of the congregation which has been sanctified in Jesus Christ; called to be holy and united with others who call upon Jesus’ name. This holiness is God’s own holiness which sets the congregation apart and consecrates it for the service of God. The members of God’s sanctified community must become what they have been chosen to be.

 SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR: THE HOMILY

Cycle “A”

John 1, 29-34: The Lamb of God

If you happen to go on a holiday to the town of Werden in Germany, look out for a Catholic Church with a statue of a Lamb carved out of stone and placed on the roof. How did it get there? An artisan was working on the roof of the church structure. Suddenly his safety belt snapped and he went for an unwelcome dive. As luck would have it, a live lamb was having its lunch of grass. The craftsman landed on the poor lamb. The animal was squashed, but the gentleman survived  -  cushioned by the lamb. The craftsman did the decent thing. He sculpted a lamb out of marble and placed it on the church roof in thankfulness.

Today we come together to remember and salute another Lamb  -  the Lamb of God. Each of us likewise owes him much; in fact, our salvation.

Today’s Gospel opens just as Jesus has completed his 40 days’ fast. He was probably camping in a farmer’s hut near the Jordan river. He would shortly break camp and head north into Galilee to begin his life’s work. I hope he took the time to put some kilos back on his lean frame. In the meantime he had come once again to check out that special character, John Baptist, whom he always admired. He had the feeling he would never hear John the Baptist again. And what did John have in mind when he got carried away at the sight of Jesus and shouted, “There, that’s the Lamb of God”? Many world-class scholars have taken a swing at that question.

That outspoken prophet Jeremiah was persecuted for being blunt and forthright. So he described himself as “the lamb that is led to the slaughter.” Then comes the prophet Isaiah. He applied the expression, “lamb of God”, to the Servant of God who is led to the slaughterhouse, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, never opening its mouth (Is. 53, 7). Finally, there is the image of the paschal lamb sacrificed at the Jewish feast of Passover.

Apart from these, there is another meaning that is little known to us. I think you’ll like it, and so will the Jews. In the 2^nd. and 1^st. centuries B.C. there lived a great family known as the Macabees. They were trained in battle, and they led the Jewish opposition against the domination of Syria and the pagan influence of the Greeks. Thanks to their mighty efforts, Jewish religious and political life was restored. The greatest hero of the family was Judas Macabaeus, the Chatrapati Shivaji of the Jews, you may say. Now the interesting thing is that the symbol or mascot of this super-general was none other than our friend the lamb. In this military context, the lamb stood not for a dumb little creature but a great conqueror and spokesman for God. It was used exactly in this fashion for the prophet Samuel, King David, and Solomon. So if the lamb stood for a conqueror and a hero, then John the Baptist was saluting not a passive wimp but a cosmic hero. The lamb would battle with Satan and would emerge victorious. So John the Baptist was inviting his listeners to sign on for life with this new and even mightier Judas Macabaeus. The Lamb entered Christian tradition with the roar of a lion. (Jesus Christ is also addressed as the “Lion of Judah”).

The author of the Book of Revelation uses the term “lamb” 29 times in 22 chapters. Count the number of times we refer to the Lamb during the Mass. Think of the number of paintings, frescoes and vestments on which you have seen the Lamb represented

I began my homily be telling you about the lamb that saved that German worker’s life as he fell off the church roof. If the animal had taken its face off the grass to see long enough the gentleman descending on him, it would have bolted away in a hurry. But our Lamb of God is something else. He saw what was coming and didn’t bolt but willingly laid down his life for us all. He saw the death dealing weight descending and stood his ground.

John the Baptist spent most of his life in the wilderness, living on the thin edge of sustenance. But he knew enough of what we delicately call civilization to be aware of the inconstancy of human love and commitment, and the difference between this and the love that his Lamb offers. In this short telegraphic gospel of five verses John conveys the message that Jesus is in for the long haul, pulling along with us. The question is, are we pulling along with him or in the opposite direction ? He is going to stay around and hold us up and, if necessary, pick up the pieces. Listen to the wisdom of John: “I saw the Spirit come down...and stay on him...God had said to me: ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a Man.’”

As God’s Chosen One, faithful and obedient, Jesus “baptises with the Holy Spirit” (Jn 1, 35), so that the Spirit will give believers the power to give light to the world as we live our lives in “compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience” (Col 3,12). These virtues dispel the darkness around us just as a lamp placed on a stand “gives light to all in the house” (Mar 5, 15). We bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth as we seek to live good and holy lives. By being light to the nations, Jesus glorified his Father. We are invited to be like Jesus. Ask the Spirit to fill you with power so that you may light to the world and bring God’s salvation – mercy, love, peace, and forgiveness – to those around you.

PRAYER: Jesus, Saviour Lord and Lamb of God, I pray you, take away my sins, and give me both the desire to do what is right and the power to do it, for I have faith and believe that you are my Saviour and the conqueror of sin, suffering and death. Make me completely receptive to your Holy Spirit that I may rejoice in you, the Lamb of God, and as a child of the Father, I may live in his love for me.