Readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
The Prophet Isaiah proclaims his mission to call the people of Israel, the “House of Jacob” back to God. He goes even further as the Lord’s plan unfolds in him; he announces that all the world will be called to worship God (“I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”)
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. In these strophes is sung the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and obey his words. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The Lord especially loves those who follow His law. Once heard, the good news is proclaimed to all the people.
Reading II 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
In this introduction to his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul establishes the theme of his letter. He first reminds them that he is called by God to do what he does, not by his own volition or for his own purpose. He then reminds them that in their conversion they were sanctified, set apart for God.
Gospel John 1:29-34
St. John the Baptist professes the identity of the Jesus as the Messiah, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The author’s theological understanding of the eternal nature of Christ is expressed in the Baptist’s words “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’
After stating the connection between Jesus the Christ and the Baptist’s mission, the author follows the tradition of the synoptic Gospels as he describes Jesus emerging from his baptism in the Jordan and the decent of the Holy Spirit. St. John concludes this testimony by St. John the Baptist with a solid affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God.
Reflection:
If the Gospel passage sounds very familiar it is because it was proclaimed just a few weeks ago at the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. We are now celebrating the fullness of Christ’s revelation to us as we enter Ordinary Time and in this different setting and accompanied by other parts of sacred scripture the Gospel brings new emphasis.
St. John’s Gospel provides the wonderful profession of faith by St. John the Baptist. He announces to the crowd that is always with him “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The timing of the remark brings an instant understanding to the title he gives the Lord.
Here comes Jesus of Nazareth to be baptized. He comes without fanfare, unaccompanied. We have not heard anything about him since he was a youth, brought to the Temple in accordance with Jewish Law. What passed in the interim is not recorded in sacred literature. His miraculous birth certainly prepared us for what was to follow. But once his father Joseph was warned about the plot by Herod and the Holy Family fled to Egypt, not much was heard until this moment.
Jesus comes to the Jordan with humility and must hear that statement by John with dread. “Lamb of God,” those words would have had significance to Jesus. The lamb was the traditional sacrificial animal killed and offered to God in atonement for sins. Not just any lamb was used. It must be an unblemished male lamb and further, none of its bones could be broken in the sacrificial process (“So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” John 19: 32-33).
“…who takes away the sin of the world.” The Baptist understands what Isaiah was saying when he said; “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” This would be no ordinary “Sin Offering”, the Lord would expiate the fallen nature of man and all the sin that arose from that state for all time. (“A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”)
In this one short phrase comes the hope of all of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. And in that hope we are saved because the hope we have in the promise of the Lamb of God is also our faith and our faith drives our actions and our actions revitalize our faith. It is all interconnected and summarized in that one statement.
Today we give thanks and praise to God for the gift of the Lamb who takes away our sins and the sins of the whole world. We thank him especially for the prophets like Isaiah and St. John the Baptist who pointed to the coming of God’s great promise. In our faith we rejoice in that promise fulfilled.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “St. John the Baptist” by Bartolomé González Y Serrano, 1621
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
The Prophet Isaiah proclaims his mission to call the people of Israel, the “House of Jacob” back to God. He goes even further as the Lord’s plan unfolds in him; he announces that all the world will be called to worship God (“I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”)
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. In these strophes is sung the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and obey his words. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The Lord especially loves those who follow His law. Once heard, the good news is proclaimed to all the people.
Reading II 1 Corinthians 1:1-3
In this introduction to his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul establishes the theme of his letter. He first reminds them that he is called by God to do what he does, not by his own volition or for his own purpose. He then reminds them that in their conversion they were sanctified, set apart for God.
Gospel John 1:29-34
St. John the Baptist professes the identity of the Jesus as the Messiah, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The author’s theological understanding of the eternal nature of Christ is expressed in the Baptist’s words “A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’
After stating the connection between Jesus the Christ and the Baptist’s mission, the author follows the tradition of the synoptic Gospels as he describes Jesus emerging from his baptism in the Jordan and the decent of the Holy Spirit. St. John concludes this testimony by St. John the Baptist with a solid affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God.
Reflection:
If the Gospel passage sounds very familiar it is because it was proclaimed just a few weeks ago at the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. We are now celebrating the fullness of Christ’s revelation to us as we enter Ordinary Time and in this different setting and accompanied by other parts of sacred scripture the Gospel brings new emphasis.
St. John’s Gospel provides the wonderful profession of faith by St. John the Baptist. He announces to the crowd that is always with him “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The timing of the remark brings an instant understanding to the title he gives the Lord.
Here comes Jesus of Nazareth to be baptized. He comes without fanfare, unaccompanied. We have not heard anything about him since he was a youth, brought to the Temple in accordance with Jewish Law. What passed in the interim is not recorded in sacred literature. His miraculous birth certainly prepared us for what was to follow. But once his father Joseph was warned about the plot by Herod and the Holy Family fled to Egypt, not much was heard until this moment.
Jesus comes to the Jordan with humility and must hear that statement by John with dread. “Lamb of God,” those words would have had significance to Jesus. The lamb was the traditional sacrificial animal killed and offered to God in atonement for sins. Not just any lamb was used. It must be an unblemished male lamb and further, none of its bones could be broken in the sacrificial process (“So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs” John 19: 32-33).
“…who takes away the sin of the world.” The Baptist understands what Isaiah was saying when he said; “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” This would be no ordinary “Sin Offering”, the Lord would expiate the fallen nature of man and all the sin that arose from that state for all time. (“A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”)
In this one short phrase comes the hope of all of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. And in that hope we are saved because the hope we have in the promise of the Lamb of God is also our faith and our faith drives our actions and our actions revitalize our faith. It is all interconnected and summarized in that one statement.
Today we give thanks and praise to God for the gift of the Lamb who takes away our sins and the sins of the whole world. We thank him especially for the prophets like Isaiah and St. John the Baptist who pointed to the coming of God’s great promise. In our faith we rejoice in that promise fulfilled.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “St. John the Baptist” by Bartolomé González Y Serrano, 1621
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