Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
January 15, 2017
Gospel: Jn 1:29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the
one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he
existed before me.' I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water was
that he might be made known to Israel." John testified (1) further, saying, "I
saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain (2) upon him. I did not know
him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you
see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the
Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
http://www.usccb.org
The difficult words
(1)To testify is to give witness, to tell what you have seen and know
about something.
(2)To remain
means to rest upon or to stay.
This week’s spotlight
Lamb of God
The title "Lamb of God" comes from the first
Passover. During the time of Moses, while the Israelites were still captives in
Egypt. God told them to eat a roasted lamb and to put its blood on the
doorposts to mark their houses. This blood saved them from death and set them
free from slavery. In the same way, Jesus' Body feeds us, and his Blood marks
us: he saves us and frees us from sin.
Jesus’ names in the Gospel
Jesus received many different names in the Gospel:
Lord, Christ or Messiah, Savior, Master, Rabbi, Son of God, Son of David, Son
of Man, Lamb of God, King of the Jews... People who met Jesus had the feeling
that he was different from everyone else.
These mysterious names express people's respect. It is also often a way
of saying "we believe that you come from God."
Reflection
What is your name?
Have you ever tried to put something big into a small
box? Have you ever tried to fit too many things into a suitcase? No matter how
hard you try, the lid just won’t close. It’s like that when we talk about God.
God is so wonderful, so powerful, and so present to us that no words can fully
describe him. Nor can any name or title we might give to him. That’s one of the
reasons why Jesus has many names. These titles express the many special aspects
of Jesus and his mission. Like nicknames, they also express our special love
for Jesus. In the Mass, we hear many of Jesus’ names, such as Lord, Savior, Son
of God, and Bread of Life. This week, John the Baptist reveals another title
for Jesus: Lamb of God. Jesus is gentle, like a lamb, and his blood takes away
our sins. He invites you to know him better. Open the box and let him surprise
you!
Discussion questions
1.Who does John the Baptist proclaim Jesus as?
2.What does John baptize with?
3.What does John testify further about Jesus?
4.What will Jesus baptize with?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. May this
Eucharist strengthen me to be your witness in the world.
This week…
In his name
Did you know that the name Jesus
in Hebrew means “God saves"? When you pray, think about the name you are
giving to Jesus. If you notice that you are always using the same name, try to
change it so that you enrich the way you speak to the Lord.
Be a witness
Like John the Baptist, who
announces that Jesus is the Lamb of God, you can express your faith to a person
of your choice. You can find inspiration in the words of the Gospel of John, or
in the second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org
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