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Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 49: 3, 5-6; 1Cor 1 : 1-3; Jn 1: 29-34)

REFLECT: A mission to continue and fulfil…

Dear friends, we are in the Second Sunday of ordinary time. The liturgy of the word invites each one of us to reflect on the theme “Mission.” We all of us know what is mission and all of us a have a mission to fulfill in order that we might actualize the vision that we visualize. Today if we ask a secular company or private company or an organization they would spontaneously say that the mission is the core purpose to achieve the core aims and core values of an organization. Mission is seen as most important tool to develop business goals and objectives. It gives them an identity. 

But if we could spiritualize the meaning of mission or perhaps look at it from the biblical perspectives it has a special meaning and significance. Biblical perspectives of mission, we see throughout the bible since the beginning of the book of Genesis till the end of revelation. 

The word mission is from the Latin ‘missio’, and in Greek ‘apostole,’ “a sending.” An apostle is the one commissioned and sent to fulfill a special purpose. The foundation of mission is found in God himself, who reaches out to humanity in history to fulfill the divine purpose he had. The purpose of his creation, the first parents, the patriarchs, kings, prophets, judges in the Old Testament and John the Baptist, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the twelve apostles, St. Paul and the many disciples of Christ reveal that wanted to fulfill his wish on earth through them in the form of a mission.

But in all these multitude ways we see that the entire life of the Church and every experience of us in the Church that sending is always associated with God’s authority and action. Therefore, every sending of mission or missionaries in the Catholic Church is the work of God and power of God. 

So based on the background of mission, we shall reflect on how we can fulfill the mission of God entrusted to the church in and though the liturgy of the word presented to us today. Therefore, I would like to substantiate this with three points of reflections;

 *1. Mission – to be a light to all:* 

We all know the purpose of light is to dispel the darkness and lead people to light that shines. Like light that dispels darkness so also we as light of Christ need to dispel darkness in us and move to the light and expose the light to others to come closer the light of Christ. That’s what we see in the first reading.

The first reading from prophet Isaiah is the Second Song of the Servant of God. There is a kind of diversified opinion among biblical scholars whether ‘the servant’ addressed in this song is an individual like a prophet or ‘the servant’ is a collective group. However, the passage presents to us call narrative and speaks about a particular mission of the servant entrusted by God. The mission is two-fold; the first on is to bring back those who are scattered in exile to their ancestral home and the second one is be a light to the nations to make known the salvific message of God to the ends of the earth. 

Yes, Just as God entrusted his mission to the servant of bringing back those who are in exile and be a light to the nations. We as Christians are called to bring back those in exile in the form of disbelief, doubt, disgusting experiences of life, those who are distracted and destroyed by worldly views and values. We are called to be light to them, so that seeing us as shining examples in following Christ might turn back to God from ways that make them fall in the darkness of life. 

Today many of us are not able to shine the light of Christ in life, because, we have not obtained the light of Christ or we do not have the light that burns brightly and shines radiantly for manifesting the light of Christ to one another in the world. We all of us have the light in us but we have failed to realize the light of Christ or ignored the light of Christ present in us.

Today we need to realize the light of Christ to light up our ways and others ways in whatever ways and means we can. The reflection of light in life would prove that we share and partake in the mission of God entrusted by Jesus to the church and to each one of us as Christ’s followers. 

 *2. Mission – to be an apostle of Christ:* 

We all of us know what it means to be an apostle of Christ. The apostle is the one sent on behalf of Christ, as delegates or representatives. Apart from the twelve apostles chosen by Christ in the Gospel, we have St. Paul, who calls or claims himself as an apostle called by Christ for a specific mission and to partake in the mission of God. 

The second reading reminds us of the apostleship of St. Paul. It is addressed to the Community at Corinth by Paul. St. Paul reminds them of his apostleship and calls them to be holy as every one of us is made holy by Christ. In word and deed, St. Paul indeed was an apostle of Christ, who makes known Christ to all by the proclamation of the word and the profession of faith by life. So we have St. Paul, who modelled Christ as a role model and manifested Christ by life. 

Today, it is our mission to be apostles of Christ like Paul; to speak on behalf of Christ; to work on behalf of Christ; to serve on behalf of Christ; to exercise power and authority on behalf of Christ. Most of us have forgotten or conveniently ignore the apostleship in Christ by replacing it to our own power, privileges and priorities. As an apostle of Christ, we are not sent on our own power, privileges and priorities but on behalf of Christ’s power, privileges and priorities. 

Moreover, true apostleship calls us to be holy. Our obstinate desires to be part of the worldly values and views, worldly pleasures and pressures make us unholy. The holiness of life we live and lead would manifest whether we are apostles, who work for Christ’s values or we work for one’s own values or self-glory, pride and power.

Just as St. Paul was able to say, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8) and “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me,” (Gal 2:20), we should be able to say and acknowledge Christ as everything in life, then our apostleship in Christ would be true, holy and will have value in life. 

So let us keep aside selfishness, self-glory, pride, arrogance and work selflessly for the glory of God to be a holy apostle in partaking of Christ’s mission and sharing it with them with an act of love and compassion to one another in the world. 

 *3. Mission – to testify to the truth about Christ:* 

We all know to testify would mean that we make a solemn declaration under oath for the purpose of establishing a fact as in a court or to make a statement based on personal knowledge or belief or bear witness to serve as evidence or proof. Yes, we all of us as Christians have the bounden duty or have the privilege perhaps to testify to the fact that Jesus is Lamb, who sacrifices his life for salvation of us all. 

Today’s, Gospel reading presents to us John the Baptist, who testifies who Jesus is by sharing with us three most important aspects of Jesus: “Jesus the Lamb of God,” “Jesus the one who existed since beginning of creation,” and “Jesus as the bearer of the Spirit of God.”

By saying, “Jesus as the Lamb of God,” John the Baptist testifies that Jesus as a lamb would be offered as a sacrifice for the atonement for our sins and obtain for us salvation from God by giving his own life as a ransom for each one of us. 

We know the symbolism of Lamb that was offered in the Old Testament or Jewish custom in temples or worship places. just as the lamb was sacrificed as a offering to please God and obtain the forgiveness of sins, so also Jesus as the Lamb of God offers himself, so that our sins be forgiven and we obtain God’s blessings to be united with God forever. 

Most of the Old Testament passages that mention “lamb” refer to a sacrifice. The people of Israel by putting lamb’s blood on the doorposts and lintels of each house were saved and began their journey with God. To this day, Jews all over the world celebrate the Passover. 

Abraham took Isaac up on the mountain to offer a sacrifice his own son given in old age. He was ready to offer Isaac as sacrifice when God had commanded him to sacrifice his only son. When Isaac asked about the lamb, Abraham assured him that God would provide the lamb (Gen 22:6-8).

The priests in the temple at Jerusalem sacrificed a lamb in the morning and evening every day (Exo 29:38). For years, Jews brought lambs to the temple as sacrifices for their sins. They kept coming back year after year because no lamb could take away all their sin. 

Similarly for us Christians, the Passover points to a greater reality. In and through Jesus Christ, God makes a perfect sacrifice possible on earth as a lamb that was offered for expiation of sins and for the salvation of all. So when John the Baptist proclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” it implies that Jesus as a lamb of God has washed away our sins by his death and brought us back to God, giving us salvation.  

By saying that “Jesus existed before,” John the Baptist points out Jesus was present before creation and during creation as Son of God and eternal word of God. It show the union of God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and their relationship and union with each other before creation and during creation and now as well.

By saying, “I saw the spirit, coming down on him like a dove from heaven and resting on Jesus,” John the Baptist points out that Jesus is the bearer of the Spirit and as well Jesus has the power to give the spirit to whomsoever he wishes. So Jesus as a Lamb of God, as the pre-existent person and bearer of the spirit, initiates the mission of God, continues to abide in the relationship of the triune God.  

So John the Baptist acknowledged Jesus as the Lamb of God, as pre-existent Word and the bearer of God’s Spirit. Today in a similar way, we need to acknowledge Jesus like John the Baptist and testify to the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God, Pre-existent Word and bearer of the Spirit. It is our mission too. If Jesus’ mission was to save us all then our mission is to make Known Jesus as our savior to entire human race and bring salvation to all by the grace of God.

We recite in the Holy Eucharist every day before receiving the Holy Communion, “Behold the Lamb of God…” and “Lamb of God, have mercy on us, Lamb of God, and grant us peace.” The significance of this is that we accept Jesus who as a Lamb of God was sacrificed and shed his blood for our sins to obtain for us salvation. So we ask God’s mercy upon us for our sins and to give us peace within to receive Jesus worthily and whole-heartedly. Let our recitation of prayers during Holy Mass be a genuine acknowledgement of what we profess and confess. 

Today it is our mission as well to testify like John the Baptist - Jesus as the Lamb of God, Jesus as the Son of God and Jesus as the bearer of the Holy Spirit. First of all our mission is to accept Jesus, announce Jesus all over and attest to the fact by life-witness. Most of us fail to bear witness to Christ or give up faith in Christ in times of sufferings and troubles. It manifest that we are not genuine in our faith-proclamation and faith-life.

Today our mission is to align with the mission of Christ. Just as Jesus was sent by the Father to fulfill the mission, Just as Jesus sent the apostles to continue the mission, we also being part of the universal church as Christians and followers of Christ are invited to continue and fulfill the mission of Christ. So like Jesus who made known to us the love of the Father and John the Baptist who had a mission to testify to the truth about Jesus, let us also fulfill the mission of Christ by bearing witness to Christ in our lives. 

RESPOND

Do we make as much as efforts possible to bring people to the light of Christ? In a special way, the wayward people, those who have no one to care for, those who have one to guide and be lead to the light of Christ?

Do we represent Christ like St. Paul an apostle of Christ, who was sent on behalf for his work and service?

Do we bear witness to Christ by our life acknowledging, announcing and attesting that Jesus as a Lamb of God sacrificed for the salvation of all?

Let us continue to fulfill the mission of God by being light to the nations, an apostle of Christ like St. Paul and testify to the truth like John the Baptist. May God bless us all. Amen . 

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968