Even A Little Light Can Make a Difference In The Dark

THE ORDINARY SEASON HAS ALREADY BEGUN-BE A LIGHT TO THE WORLD BY RESPONDING PROMPTLY TO CHRIST’S MISSION-GOD iS EVER FAITHFUL, EVER SURE!

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Isa 49.3, 5-6;  
I Cor 1.1-3;  
Jn 1.29-34

In the first reading today, Isaiah received instructions from God:  It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;  I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.  Light the nations, Isaiah is told that he would become a light, a “light to the nations” as he fulfills the mission given him by God, to restore faith and hope in Israel but these words also prefigure what will happen during the coming of the Messiah, the Epiphany; it reminds us of the star shining in the heavens, calling the Three Kings to the birthplace of the Messiah, wise men guided by the light, touched by the light, and, even driven to change their lives, by God’s holy light.  And many years before the birth of Jesus,

Today, the gospel sets us up for action.  John the Baptist points to Our Lord and says, “There is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world…”   Jesus is now ready to set off on his earthly mission.  Over the next few weeks we shall hear in Saint Matthew’s Gospel how He called the disciples, set out His fundamental teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, healed the sick and transformed the lives of those who met Him.  Today, we should be ready to set off in the same way. One can only imagine how moved the Baptist was to finally see the one who was “filled with the Spirit,” the one who is true “the Son of God!”  Here is Jesus, in plain sight!  Surely John’s heart would have been filled with the words spoken by his own father, Zechariah, when he cried out his song about his beloved child, John: “You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, to give His people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.”  An extraordinary moment we are invited to think about on this ordinary Sunday!  We can all fall to our knees and cry out with John the Baptist:  “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world.”

What is our mission as servants of Christ? What is our mission statement and how best can we achieve this? Many organizations nowadays display a ‘mission statement’ at the entrance to their building or their brochure or annual report.  These are designed to focus the efforts of the workers and managers and to clarify in the minds of the consumer what the company or service is there to provide.  When the organization reviews its performance or contemplates change, often the strategists will return to the mission statement as their starting point.
That could form the basis for a mission statement for any given Christian community; including ours.  There are many lapsed Catholics who need to be brought back, like the tribes of Jacob which Isaiah was to restore.  Part of our work is to try to restore the lapsed to full Catholic life again.  We are called to be the light of the nations.  Our vocation is to be a source of inspiration to those among whom we live and work who do not know God, who are walking in darkness, whether it is the the darkness of ignorance or the darkness of error.

At Mass, the priest invites us to Holy Communion with the words of John the Baptist:  Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb”! As Catholics, we believe that our mission begins at the altar and that the celebration of the sacraments is central to the work of presenting Our Lord to the world.
We are therefore called to be a light to the nations.  By witnessing our faith and sharing with all whom we meet the good news that Jesus is Lord.  We are invited to remind everyone that, when we walk in the light of Christ, it can make a real difference in day-by-day life.  Isn’t this what St. Paul means when he tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, that we have all been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, even as we call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fr Joseph Osho