John refers to Christ as being “the Lamb of God.” This reference to Christ as Lamb should be very familiar to us for it is referenced throughout the Mass. Therefore, we hear “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis” “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.” Prior to communion we are also instructed: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.”
Those who heard this invitation made by Saint John the Baptist would look upon this invitation from an entirely different perspective. This invitation would bring their mind back to the Exodus and the fact that the Israelites were liberated from their slavery in Egypt. In order to commemorate this Jewish Passover the paschal lamb which is offered is very important. Thus a lamb is to be offered for at the Passover the blood of a lamb was to be placed upon one’s doorpost. This could not be just any lamb, but one which was spotless and without blemish not even a bone of it’s body could be broken. It was also well known that not only would this lamb need to be offered, but it was also to be consumed.
For us we should be able to connect the dots to this lamb which was very familiar to the followers of Saint John the Baptist. We must remember that upon the cross not even a bone of the body of our Lord was broken. He was pure and spotless because He had never sinned. The image of this sacrificial lamb is so important because it serves as a reminder that we have been redeemed through Christ’s death upon the cross. It too serves as a reminder that we must also eat and thus we are invited to receive our Blessed Lord who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist. We can proclaim that Christ is indeed the fulfillment of this sacrificial lamb which was so clearly known by the Jewish people.
Through Saint John the Baptist’s invitation His followers were given a glimpse into who this man who was set before their sight was. With their eyes they looked upon an ordinary sight, but through the eyes of faith they came to see Him who gave up His life upon the cross for our salvation just as the sacrificial lamb. So too in our day and age with all the uncertainty, division, and angst that is set before us we must come to look upon Christ with the certainty of faith. When the priest holds up the Eucharist what we see with our eyes is ordinary bread, but at that moment through the eyes of faith it is truly Christ that we dare to look upon.
“Behold, the Lamb of God” is a statement which should challenge us always as it came to challenge the followers of Saint John the Baptist. This is an invitation for us to set our sight upon Him and to trust in Him. It seems that we so often place our faith in other areas which always leave us empty. Christ transcends everything and everything that we do should flow back to Him. Nevertheless, we so often fail to foster such faith especially when it pertains to the Eucharist. Hopefully we do not approach the communion line as if it is a drive thru, but instead with true devotion. Hopefully we do not rush in and out of the Church, but allot the time to make proper preparation and thanksgiving for the one who we behold. Hopefully we realize that the Church is a place to come to be in the presence of the Eucharist. What a wonderful place to bring your fears and anxieties and to pray for the good of this parish. Hopefully you see the way in which sin ruins the relationship and come to frequent the sacrament of confession.
Let us dare to “Behold, the Lamb of God.”
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.