Gospel: John 1:29-34
The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! It is he of whom I said: A man comes after me, who is already ahead of me, for he was before me. I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing to prepare for him, so that he might be revealed in Israel.” And John also gave this testimony, “I saw the Spirit coming down on him, like a dove from heaven, and resting on him. I myself did not know him, but God, who sent me to baptize, told me, ‘You will see the Spirit coming down, and resting on the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen! And I declare that this is the Chosen One of God!”
Reflections
“There is the Lamb of God.”
According to Luke, the mothers of Jesus and John were “kinswomen.” (Lk 1:36). Yet John here reveals no prior familiarity with Jesus; “I myself did not know him,” he says. Nevertheless, on the basis of a sign he had been awaiting, he instantly recognized Jesus as “the Chosen One of God.”John was living for this moment. His personal mission was entirely attuned to such a sign, and he recognized it when it arrived. There where probably others at the scene who strained their eyes to see who John was talking about: “What? Who? You mean him?”Are we capable of recognizing the presence of the Spirit when it appears in our lives or our moment in history? In most cases it does not appear in the form of a dove. Perhaps it comes in a flash of understanding, or an occasion of reconciliation, or a longawaited victory for the cause of justice. Others may let it pass. It is only with the eyes of faith, long attuned to such signs, that we may find ourselves able to proclaim: “Yes, I have seen!”
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