LET OTHERS ENCOUNTER JESUS THROUGH YOU

 

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, John 1:29-33

 

Today is the second Sunday of Ordinary Time. Each time we begin the Ordinary Time of the Church’s liturgical calendar, my mind goes back to an encounter I had with a group I was preparing for confirmation about five years ago. One day of the catechism classes, the topic being discussed was the liturgical seasons in the Church. The task was to mention and describe each of the liturgical seasons. When it got to the Ordinary Time of the liturgical season, an innocent boy from the back seat raised his hand and answered that the Ordinary Time is that time in the Church when nothing serious is happening. He went further to say that the Ordinary Time is like a holiday period when pupils and students take a break from normal academic activities.

If you hold the same view about the Ordinary Time, then, you are mistaken. The Christian life does not go on vacation. The adjective ordinary does not mean that the Ordinary Time is ordinary or inferior to the other liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. Rather, the word ordinary goes to show that the Ordinary Time is that time when the Church is not restricted to any specific aspect of the mystery of the life of Jesus.  It is that time when we are called to bear testimony to the mysteries of Christ which we have celebrated during the other seasons of the liturgical year. Therefore, rather than seeing the Ordinary Time as a time to relax as Christians, it is a time when the real job begins; a time when we can bear rich fruits from the spiritual nutrients we have gained during the other seasons; a time to live out what we have received.

The gospel reading of today shows us how to bear testimony to Christ as Christians. The role we are called to play is that similar to a monstrance. A monstrance is a sacred vessel used to show Jesus to the world. It is used to expose Jesus for adoration and benediction. In today’s gospel passage, we encounter a human monstrance by the name of John the Baptist. The gospel reading tells us that when John saw Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Going further, John said that he himself did not know Jesus, and yet, it was to reveal him to Israel that he came baptizing with water (John 1:29-31).

Like the monstrance, John knew the exact purpose for which he came to the world. That is why he did not try to take a position that was not his. At some point during his ministry, people were coming to him to ask if he was the Messiah, but John was honest and humble enough to tell the people that he was not the Christ (Luke 7:19). Like a monstrance, John only came to show Jesus to the world. The role which John played is the same role that we are asked to play. As Christians, we are all called to be a living monstrance showing Jesus to the world. In our homes, schools and workplaces, we should allow others encounter Jesus through us.

This same invitation is what we find in the first reading. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised the people of Israel that he would make them the light to the nations so that his salvation may reach the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). As the new Israel, this promise must find fulfilment in us. The season of the Ordinary Time is that time of the liturgical year when we are expected as Christians to fulfil this responsibility of being the light to the nations. Just as John the Baptist revealed Jesus, the true light of the world, we too are meant to allow Jesus, the light of the world to shine through us and dispel the darkness of our world. Lastly, remember that all of us are called to be a living monstrance. Let us therefore try to show a true image of Jesus to the world.