Gospel
John 1:29-34
29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he, of whom I said: After me there cometh a man, who is preferred before me: because he was before me.
31 And I knew him not, but that he may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down, as a dove from heaven, and he remained upon him. 33 And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptize with water, said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and I gave testimony, that this is the Son of God.
Today’s Mas Readings continue to unfold the newness that is both the new man in Christ, the individual Christian, and the new Church established by our Lord. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus states that one must be “born again of water and the spirit.” To be born again is to be baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church. Baptism washes away the stain of original sin that we inherited from out first parents, and our actual sins to that point. Baptism also opens us to the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Spirit is received in the anointing of Confirmation. These sacraments make the new man. The Eucharist feeds the new Christian with the grace of holiness. Reconciliation returns us to our baptismal state when we have wandered astray.
The baptism of Saint John the Baptist was a call to repentance. His baptism was an outward sign, a symbol and reminder that the Jews of his era needed to return to God and ask forgiveness for their sins. Sacrifices, sin offerings and tithes were made in the Temple. The prophet, John, though was not in the Temple. He was in the wilderness announcing something new. That something new was the Christ. Through Jesus and the Church He would establish, the worship and sacrifices of the Temple came to an end. Jesus brought the Baptism that would achieve what John’s symbolized.
Elsewhere in the Gospels Jesus explains that nothing impure can enter into Heaven. He says that we must be perfect as God is perfect. He also says that only God is good. Wow, how can any human make the cut?! If only God is good, and we must be pure and perfect, none of us can do it. Indeed, the Mosaic Law could not make one pure, perfect and good. No, something more was needed, something new. A new religion was necessary and a new covenant. A new Church was necessary to provide the sacraments. Only through faith in Jesus and by receiving the sacraments of the Church can we actually become pure, perfect and good. The sacraments are “the holy that makes holy.” Grace is a gift of favor given by God. It cannot be earned. Following all the Laws of the Torah and becoming a great religious scholar could not allow one to possess grace. Indeed, before the Resurrection all of the holiest Jews, even Abraham himself, could not enter Heaven. While Jesus’ body lay in the tomb He visited what the early Church called “The Limbo of the Fathers” and opened to them the gates of Heaven. All of Heaven and earth had waited for this moment.
Now, we can be God’s children. We can be brothers and sisters of Jesus. We are heirs through our brother, our Lord and God. We can be reconciled to the Father through His sacrifice. We can each be the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We can be pure. We can work to become perfect. We can even become good and be saints in Heaven. Not on our own merits, but as Saint Paul said, “not I but Christ in me.” Our faith is a willing assent to believe the words of Jesus. Once we believe, we only have to follow the teachings of the Church and receive the sacraments – remain in communion with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by our Lord to make us holy through His grace. He said, “Remain in me as I remain in you.” He prayed that we may all be one and that there would be no division. He said that those who love Him would follow His commandments. To fight temptations to sin takes constant and difficult effort on the part of each Christian. To believe in God’s Church is simple – just believe in Jesus and do what He said… He is God, after all.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.
All so simple, yet so difficult. I imagine it’s because of the “dying to one’s self” we just can’t seem to get past. My ponderings from today’s reading.