Homily for 2d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
2d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jan. 15, 2023
John 1: 29-34
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

Christ Appears to the People (Ivanov)

“John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29).

Before Communion at every Mass, we echo John the Baptist’s acclamation, with the difference that we pluralize “sins,” indicating the specific, personal sins for which we’re all individually responsible.  The Lamb doesn’t take away some unspecified, generic sin of the world, whatever that may mean, but your sins and my sins.

Altho John testifies that he “did not know him” (1:31), by the divine revelation of seeing “the Spirit come down and remain” on Jesus (1:33), he’s come to recognize Jesus as Son of God (1:34) and Lamb of God.

Lamb of God—that name bears abundant meaning.  Lambs were sacrificed in the temple as sin offerings, as atonement.  Jesus’ sacrifice is the supreme atonement for our sins.  Offering his sacrifice, he presents himself as the Lord’s suffering servant, “led like a lamb to the slaughter,” as the prophet Isaiah says (53:7), “smitten for the sin of his people” (53:8), “giving his life as an offering for sin” (53:10).  Jesus is like the ram that Abraham was able to sacrifice instead of Isaac (Gen 22:13).  Jesus was led to Calvary at the hour when the Passover lambs were being slain in the temple.  He’s the Passover lamb whose blood marks the doorposts of our lives so that the destroying angel—in this case, Satan—may not wreak death upon us (Ex 12:23).

Evoking the Passover lamb, John foreshadows Jesus’ death on the cross, when the Roman soldiers don’t need to break his legs to hasten death, leading John the Evangelist to cite the Passover commandment that “none of the lamb’s bones be broken” (19:36; cf. Ex 12:46).

This is the Lamb who’s victorious in humanity’s battle against all the dark powers of the world, the Lamb named 34 times in the book of Revelation, the Lamb that was slain yet is alive, the Lamb who opens the seals of the book of life for God’s people, the Lamb who invites God’s holy ones to come and celebrate his marriage feast:  “Blessed are those who’ve been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb” (19:9)—an acclamation we repeat before Communion, changing “wedding feast” to “supper”:  “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

The Spirit of God settled upon this Lamb, who in turn baptizes his followers with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33) and washes away our sins.  St. Paul reminds us:  “you have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy” (1 Cor 1:2).  The Spirit comes down and remains upon us who belong to Jesus, a commitment that he renews with us and we renew with him at every Eucharist, at every celebration of the Lamb’s victory over sin and death, at every celebration of his marriage feast with us; we are his spouse, his beloved.  In a few moments we’ll pray, “Whenever the memorial of this sacrifice is celebrated the work of our redemption is accomplished” (Prayer over the Offerings).