Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Homily by Fr. Brian P. Simon
January 16, 2005
(Is 49: 3,5-6 Ps 40:2,4,7-10 1 Carl:1-3 Jn 1:29-34)
“Experience is Knowing”Click Here to Listen to Fr. Simon's Homily
INTRODUCTION
How do you come to know something? You
can be told about something, but you
really have to experience it to come to know it.
Grabbing onto the metal handle on the outside door of
church with my bare hand reminded me of when I was young, somebody told
me that
your tongue will stick to a metal object that is very cold, so don’t do
it!. What did I do? I
did it!
When I was young, somebody told me that if you “pee” on
an electric fence you will get a shock.
I did not believe them, so I did it!
Why do we do things that we are told not to do?
Sometimes, we just have to experience things
for ourselves to really “know” it.
GOSPEL
In the gospel reading (John 1:29-34) it says that John
the Baptist knew it was Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the
world, when he was coming toward him.
How did John know that it was Jesus, the Savior and suffering
Messiah
that the prophet Isaiah refers to in our first reading (Is 49:3, 5-6)?
John says that even though he was baptizing people with
water so that Israel might know him, he did not know Jesus himself
until he saw
the Spirit come down and remain on Jesus when he baptized Jesus! The Lord told him to look for this sign, “On
whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who
will
baptize with the Holy Spirit.” John the
Baptist is now testifying to the people what he has seen, what he has
experienced through the sign identified to him by the Lord! John is now testifying to us that Jesus is
the long awaited Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
EXHORTATION
Don’t believe John when he says that Jesus is the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world, just because he said it, that
he
experienced it through the sign of the Spirit coming down upon him. Believe it because you have experienced
it!
When we celebrate the sacraments, we experience Jesus
through the physical sign of the sacrament.
Through the Church the Lord founded, He tells us to look for the
sign of
the Lamb in the consecrated Bread.
After we pray the “Our Father” during Mass, the priest lifts up
the
consecrated host and says, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the
sins of
the world. Happy are those who are
called to his supper.” Through the
physical sign of the bread, we experience Jesus, the Lamb of God, the
Savior.
SECOND READING
John the Baptist made known to Israel the Savior he
experienced by calling upon His name.
When we experience Him, we call upon His name.
In the second reading to the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:1-3) we heard
how St. Paul spoke to the church in Corinth who with Christians
everywhere call
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. They knew that Jesus is their Lord because
they experienced His salvation, and they wanted to make this salvation
known to
others so that they can experience it, be sanctified in Christ Jesus,
and be
holy.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
(FIRST READING)
