Sunday Reflections

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1: 29)

The words of John the Baptist call us to see Jesus as the one sent by God to save his people. Like the gentle lamb who was led to the slaughter, Jesus, by his suffering and death, would redeem his people. But even more than this, he would break down the barrier between us and God revealing once and for all God’s love and mercy, a love which goes beyond human imagination.

Am I convinced of God’s love for me personally? How do I respond to this love? “If you love me,” said Jesus, “you will keep my commandments.” But we do this not to earn God’s love but in return for the love God shows us and has shown us in the life and death of his own son. 

To know the will of God and to do it are two radically different things. John accepted God’s will which called for him to be the prophet and then to stand aside. Sometimes God’s will demands sacrifice. Jesus, too, came to do the Father’s will and at what cost! The Lamb of God, Jesus would be led to the cross to suffer and die for us.

By baptism and confirmation we have all been called and continue to be called each day. Do we hear God’s voice or are our hearts hardened? And if we hear God’s voice do we respond: “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will”?