He who takes away our sin

  « January 19 »

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 64   

It-Tieni Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1   ISAIAH 49:3, 5-6

The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Qari I        mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 49, 3.5-6

Il-Mulej qalli: “Iżrael, inti l-qaddej tiegħi, bik jiena nkun imfaħħar”. Issa tkellem il-Mulej, li minn ġuf ommi għamilni qaddej tiegħu, biex għandu nraġġa’ lura lil Ġakobb, u biex Iżrael jinġabar miegħu mill-ġdid – għax jien kont imfaħħar f’għajnejn il-Mulej, u Alla tiegħi kien il-qawwa tiegħi – u Hu qalli: “Tkun ħaġa żgħira wisq għalik, li inti tkun il-qaddej tiegħi, biex tqajjem it-tribù ta’ Ġakobb, u traġġa’ lura l-fdal ta’ Iżrael. Jien nagħmel minnek dawl għall-ġnus, biex is-salvazzjoni tiegħi sa truf l-art tinfirex”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm    PSALM 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

I have waited, waited for the LORD,

and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.

And he put a new song into my mouth,

a hymn to our God.

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or offering you wished not,

but ears open to obedience you gave me.

Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;

then said I, “Behold I come.”

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,

to do your will, O my God, is my delight,

and your law is within my heart!”

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Salm Responsorjali      Salm 39 (40), 2.4ab.7-8a.8b-9.10

R/. (8a.9a): Hawn jien, Mulej, ġej nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek

Ittamajt b’tama qawwija fil-Mulej;

hu niżel ħdejja u sama’ l-għajta tiegħi.

Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,

għanja ta’ tifħir lil Alla tagħna. R/.

Int ma titgħaxxaqx b’sagrifiċċji u b’offerti;

imma widnejja inti ftaħtli;

ma tlabtnix vittmi tal-ħruq u tat-tpattija.

Imbagħad jien għedt: “Hawn jien, ġej”. R/.

“Fil-bidu tal-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi

li nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Alla tiegħi, dan jogħġobni;

il-liġi tiegħek ġewwa qalbi”. R/.

Xandart il-ġustizzja f’ġemgħa kbira;

xufftejja ma żammejthomx magħluqa.

Mulej, dan inti tafu. R/.

Reading 2    1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Qari II     Bidu tal-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 1, 1-3

Pawlu, li Alla ried isejjaħlu biex ikun appostlu ta’ Kristu Ġesù, u Sòsteni ħuna, lill-knisja ta’ Alla li qiegħda f’Korintu; lil dawk li tqaddsu fi Kristu Ġesù, imsejħa biex ikunu qaddisin flimkien ma’ dawk kollha li f’kull pajjiż isejħu l-isem ta’ Ġesù Kristu, is-Sid tagħhom u tagħna; grazzja u sliem mingħand Alla missierna u l-Mulej Ġesù Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel    JOHN 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Evanġelju      Qari skond San Ġwann 1, 29-34

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni, ra lil Ġesù riesaq lejh, u qal: “Araw il-Ħaruf ta’ Alla, li jneħħi d-dnub tad-dinja. Dan hu li għalih għedtilkom: “Warajja ġej bniedem li hu aqwa minni, għax kien qabli”. Anqas jien stess ma kont nafu, imma jien għalhekk ġejt ngħammed bl-ilma, biex hu jkun mgħarraf lil Iżrael”. U Ġwanni xehed għalih u qal: “Jiena rajt l-Ispirtu nieżel mis-sema bħal ħamiema u joqgħod fuqu. Tabilħaqq, anqas jien ma kont nafu; imma dak li bagħatni ngħammed bl-ilma, hu stess qalli: “Fuq min tara l-Ispirtu jinżel u joqgħod, dak hu li jgħammed bl-Ispirtu s-Santu”. Dan rajtu b’għajnejja, u għalhekk xhedt, dan hu l-Iben ta’ Alla”.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

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Behold, the Lamb of God!

Gospel Commentary by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, the Pontifical Household preacher

In this coming Sunday's Gospel we hear John the Baptist who, presenting Jesus to the world, exclaims: “Behold the lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world!”

The lamb, in the Bible, as in other cultures, is the symbol of being innocent; it cannot do evil to anyone but only suffer it. Following this symbolism, the first letter of Peter calls Christ “the lamb unspotted” (1:19) who, “reviled, did not revile; when he suffered, he threatened not” (2:23). Jesus, in other words, is par excellence the innocent one who suffers.

It has been written that the suffering of the innocent “is the rock of atheism.” After Auschwitz, the problem was posed in a still more acute way. There are countless books and dramas that have been written about this theme. It feels like being at a trial and hearing the voice of the judge ordering the defendant to stand up. The defendant in this case is God.

What does the faith have to say about all this? First of all, it is necessary that we all, believers and nonbelievers, adopt an attitude of humility, because if faith is not able to “explain” the suffering, much less is reason. The suffering of the innocent is something too pure and mysterious to try to close it up in one of our poor “explanations.” Jesus — who, as far as explanations go, certainly had more than us — faced with the suffering of the widow of Naim and the sisters of Lazarus, knew nothing better to do than to be moved and weep.

The Christian response to the problem of innocent suffering is wrapped up in one name: Jesus Christ! Jesus did not come to give us expert explanations about suffering, he came rather silently to take it upon himself. Taking it upon himself, however, he changed it entirely: from a sign of malediction, he made it an instrument of redemption. Even more: he made it the supreme value, the highest order of greatness in this world. After sin, the true greatness of the human creature is measured by the fact of bearing the least amount of guilt possible and the maximum amount of punishment possible. It is not so much in the one or the other taken separately — that is, in innocence or in suffering — as it is in the co-presence of the two in the same person. This is a type of suffering that brings us closer to God. Only God, in fact, if he suffers, suffers as innocent in an absolute sense.

Jesus, however, did not only give a meaning to innocent suffering, he also conferred a new power on it, a mysterious fruitfulness. Look at what flowed from the suffering of Christ: the resurrection and hope for the whole human race. But look also at what happens around us. How much energy and heroism is often brought out in a couple in the acceptance of a handicapped child, bedridden for years! How much unsuspected solidarity surrounds them! How much otherwise unknown capacity to love!

The most important thing, however, when we speak of innocent suffering, is not to explain it; it is not to increase it with our actions and our omissions. But neither is it enough not to increase innocent suffering; we must also try to relieve the innocent suffering that exists! Faced with a little girl frozen by the cold, who cries because of hunger pains, a man cried out in his heart one day to God: “Oh, God, where are you? Why don’t you do something for that innocent girl?” And God answered him: “I certainly have done something for her: I made you!”  [Translated from the Italian  by Joseph G. Trabbic]

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