“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
3rd January 2018.
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WEDNESDAY, CHRISTMASTIDE
Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus, or Memorial of St. Kuriakose Chavara, Priest
Reading 1: 1 Jn2:29 – 3:6 Jesus appeared in order to abolish sin, anyone who lives in God does not sin.
Res. Psalm: Ps 98: 3-4 All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God.
Gospel: Jn1: 29-34 John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
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BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!
Christians who have been divinely begotten of God have the privilege of experiencing God's love and living as members of His family (1 Jn2:29-3:2). They are to demonstrate their family membership by righteous living. Christ has come to take away our sins. John points out that the person who continues sinning has never seen or known Christ (1 Jn 3:6). John was not suggesting that a Christian will never commit an act of sin, but rather that he would not live in the practice of sin. Jesus died to free us from slavery to sin.
In the Gospel, John declares Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn 1:29 cf. Isa 53:4-7,10-12). Jesus is the basis of our salvation! We are not saved on the basis of our good deeds (cf. Tit 3:5); We are saved by the blood of the Lamb!( cf. Rev 1:5; 5:9; Rom 5:1) These same words are spoken every time we attend Mass when the priest holds up the Sacred Host: “Behold the Lamb of God…” And when we look at the Sacred Host, as it is held up at Mass for all to see, we see Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb, in an even more veiled way. We see, with our eyes, a piece of bread. But with the eyes of faith, once again we behold the Savior. The Sacrificial Lamb of God is continually coming to us throughout our day. He is all around us, coming to us in veiled form, revealing Himself in faith. Do you see Him? Let us reflect upon those sacred words: “Behold the Lamb of God.” Let us seek Him out, discover Him with the eyes of faith and rejoice as He draws near.
Each member of the Body of Christ has his or her specific function as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians. We eat of one bread and drink of one cup in the Eucharist and so are made one body. We are members not only of Christ, but of each other. We owe our service both to Jesus and to the totality of other members. The charismatic dimension of the Church becomes visible in our individual gifts and talents, which bring strength and sweetness to the whole Body of Christ. Insofar as we allow ourselves to decrease and Christ to increase, the full image of Jesus will become clear in this world.
Prayer: Lord, I behold Your divine presence today and every day. I seek You and love You. Give me the eyes of faith to discover Your real but hidden presence at all times. Help me to rejoice in how near You always are. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.