RECOGNIZING THE SAVIOR IN OUR MIDST
Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 A young man once told me how he missed a life-changing opportunity simply because he did not recognize it. He ignored an unfamiliar phone number, only to discover later it was a job offer he had prayed for. Today’s liturgy is about recognition - about seeing, naming, and responding when God stands right before us. Today’s Gospel passage opens with John the Baptist pointing to Jesus and proclaiming: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). This is not a casual title. It is deeply theological. John is identifying Jesus with the Passover lamb whose blood saved Israel in Egypt (Exod 12), and with the suffering servant of Isaiah who was “like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Isa 53:7). In other words, from the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, His mission is clear: He comes to save through self-giving love and sacrifice. J...
