Weekly thoughts on the Sunday Gospel, readings or a topic...

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seeing your life through the lens of the gospels – John 1:29-34
1. John is one who directs people to Jesus as the one who had a lifegiving message for them. Who have been the people in your life whose example or advice pointed you in the direction of a fuller life? Who has helped you to appreciate the importance of Jesus and his message?
2. In the narrative, John recognised that Jesus had more to offer people than he himself had. John had the humility not to need to be the star of the show. Who have you known with that grounded sense of their own place?
3. John proclaims Jesus as one who takes away the sin of the world. Who have been the people who, for you, continued this mission of Jesus and led you from sin and guilt to forgiveness and freedom? For whom have you done this?
4. It was not just on the cross that Jesus gave his life as the Lamb of God. His public ministry was a constant struggle against injustice and oppression. When have you shared in this mission of Jesus? Who have been models of this for you?  – John Byrne, OSA

The Deep End
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist is inviting us to look at Jesus. He calls Jesus the ‘lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. We say these words often at Mass and today we are invited to meditate on them more closely. What does it mean? In Jesus’ time, two lambs were sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem each day. It was a ritual that invoked purity. Jesus will preach a love that is radical for many, in a world that was, and still is, broken. John refers to Jesus as the lamb as he knows that if one loves in such a way, they will suffer at the hands of unjust systems and institutions.
When we look at the ‘sins’ of our world today – broken relationships, crisis, can we also see those who, like Jesus, ‘take away’ the sin of the world? Christ’s love was not passive, he actively challenged systems that were oppressive and which prevented people from living life to the full. Whether it be the climate crisis or the homelessness crisis or any number of issues we face, ‘look’ where Jesus walks and is actively working to ease this suffering. When we hear these words at Mass, let us be reminded of all those who sacrifice much to ease the sufferings of others. This is Christ, the ‘lamb of God’ active in our world today. ‘The descent into the waters of our spirit, is a journey into the presence of divinity ... all human beings are children of God but not all live in the awareness that there is ‘that of God’ within them’ (W.L. Wallace)  – Jane Mellett

(from Intercom)