Saint Catharine & Saint Margaret
Social Media Outreach Ministry
Celebrating the Eucharistic Revival
Sunday's 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."
"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."
Fr Damian's Reflection
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Lamb of God.
When you hear John the Baptist call Jesus the “Lamb of God,” you might picture a cute baby sheep leaping in a pasture or happily resting on its shepherd’s shoulders. But that can be confusing. How can Jesus be that kind of lamb? Israelites in Jesus’ time would have understood what John was getting at. They would likely have called to mind the feast of Passover. Each year during that feast, every Jewish family slaughtered and ate an unblemished lamb to remember God bringing his people out of slavery in Egypt.
When you hear John the Baptist call Jesus the “Lamb of God,” you might picture a cute baby sheep leaping in a pasture or happily resting on its shepherd’s shoulders. But that can be confusing. How can Jesus be that kind of lamb? Israelites in Jesus’ time would have understood what John was getting at. They would likely have called to mind the feast of Passover. Each year during that feast, every Jewish family slaughtered and ate an unblemished lamb to remember God bringing his people out of slavery in Egypt.
They might also have thought about Isaiah’s song of the Suffering Servant, who, like a lamb, silently allowed himself to be led to the slaughter while he bore the guilt of us all. Finally, they might have remembered when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. As Isaac prepared the wood for the sacrifice, he asked why there were no sheep to offer. Abraham replied, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).
John likely had all this in mind when he called Jesus the Lamb of God: Jesus was the sacrifice provided by God, who would silently offer his life to redeem us all. Contemplating Jesus as the Lamb of God gives us infinite reasons to worship him. We can praise him for delivering us from enslavement to sin. We can ponder what he silently bore to redeem us. We can bow to him as the perfect sacrifice provided for us by God himself.
At Mass today, we will be invited to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” How happy we are to be called to his supper, to behold him, and to receive him in the Eucharist!
With Love and Blessings,
Fr Damian
Want More???
This week, we celebrated The Baptism of The Lord. It seems strange that Jesus would have submitted himself to a sacrament designed for sinners. Bishop Barron unpacks this conundrum and shows us the beauty behind the actions of Jesus.