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We should be paying close attention to John’s words. Why? Because, if we are really Christians, our mission is ‘to reveal the authenticity of Jesus to the world.’  People can only be converted to following Jesus Christ when they meet the real Jesus. And we must give an authentic Christian witness for the revelation of Jesus to spread throughout the world. PIT SENYOR!

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – A

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6

Psalm 40:2+4, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

J ohn 1:29-34 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (30) This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' (31) I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." (32) And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. (33) I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' (34) And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

Meditation by Fr. Celestino Say

T here was a man named “Honest Jake.” Honest Jake worked hard in the Boston, Massachusetts area, lending money to immigrants for three generations, to help them get on their feet in their new land. On his 60th birthday, friends gave him enough money for a total personal makeover; so he joined a fitness club and lost weight, brought a great new wardrobe, had his teeth capped, bought a hairpiece, and went to Miami Beach for a holiday.

As he was taking a beautiful young woman out on a date, he was hit by a lightening bolt, and died instantly. In heaven, he asked God, “Why now?  After all my years of trying to serve you by helping your people, I was just about to enjoy myself a little. Why me? God replied, “Oh! Was that you, Jake? I’m sorry – I didn’t recognize you.”

Today our Gospel readings are all about recognizing who is the authentic Son of God. We probably can’t imagine how eagerly and for how many generations the Chosen People, the Jews, had been waiting for their Messiah to make his appearance. They expected a great and powerful military man who would free them from their oppressors. So there was much speculation in every community, “When is Messiah coming? Who will he be? How long must we wait, O Lord?”

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, baptized Jesus with water “so that he might be revealed to Israel.” But John confesses twice that even he did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah at first. Today, John tells us the rest of the story – how he recognized that Jesus was indeed the One whom God had sent to be the Savior of the world.

John obviously received information from a “Higher Source.” He testifies that the one who told him to baptize with water was the same one who said, “When you see the Spirit descend and rest on someone, it is he who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

S ince John was the cousin of Jesus, we might wonder why he would have any trouble recognizing that Jesus was the Son of God.  After all, when John was still in the womb, his mother Elizabeth said that he leaped for joy upon hearing that Mary was to give birth to her special baby. And, then, didn’t these cousins grow up together, and get to know each other pretty well in 30 years?

It is always tempting to think that the Bible characters from centuries ago were like God’s puppets, who were made to say and do all the right things. How many times have you said, “If I had lived alongside Jesus, it would have been a piece of cake to follow him.”

But Jesus is both human and divine, and God respects our human limitations. God usually works through the physics and the biology of humans, instead of violating God's own rules of time and space.  So maybe it is the very humanness of John saying, “Even I didn’t know him!” which helps us to recognize the authenticity of who Jesus is:  “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

We should be paying close attention to John’s words. Why? Because, if we are really Christians, our mission is ‘to reveal the authenticity of Jesus to the world.’ People can only be converted to following Jesus Christ when they meet the real Jesus. And we must give an authentic Christian witness for the revelation of Jesus to spread throughout the world.

It is always so easy to call ourselves Christian. But authenticity is what makes a relationship real. Being who you say you are is a vital requirement for a valid marriage. It is ground for annulment if someone falsely represents who they are.

Why is giving an authentic witness of Jesus to the world so crucial? Because many Christians labor under the same false pride that the Pharisees suffered from. Religion for the Pharisees became the exclusive club of the enlightened. Sadly, many Christians also act as if faith in Jesus takes away their sins only.

But the Lamb of God “takes away the sin of the World.” The revelation of Jesus is shocking precisely for that reason; in Isaiah God says, basically, “It’s not enough for Jesus to restore Israel; I’m giving Jesus ‘as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

When people listened to John the Baptist preaching, they heard him – but they followed Jesus. Let John be our model, as we bear witness to Jesus every day. Let us have pure humility and a quiet spirit of service, so that the light that shines from us is not our own, but the authentic light of Jesus to all the nations! – Rev. Fr. Celestino Say, Texas, USA # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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