For the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time…
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
The Church calls this season Ordinary Time due to the numbering of weeks between the seasons, but there is nothing ordinary about what we witness and receive at Mass during Ordinary Time. At every Mass, the priest elevates the Body and Blood of Christ and quotes these words we find in today’s Gospel: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
This is more than a Scriptural metaphor or coincidence: This is how we are saved, through the sacrifice of Jesus, through his shedding of his blood on the Cross, and his dying and rising.
At Mass we are invited to behold the very same Lamb of God, who John the Baptist called to on that day long ago… and whose own sacrifice on Calvary, by his own power, is now made present in the Eucharist in an unbloody manner. This is Jesus, the One who was sacrificed for our sins, and for our salvation.
Happy are we to be called to that same supper of the Lamb.
Jesus, Lamb of God, may we never take your sacrifice or your love for us for granted. St. John the Baptist, pray for us!
