Homily of January 16 - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time At European Meeting Church St Simeon - The door frame - 15/01/11 - 18:30
Church Holy Trinity - Nuillé - 16/01/11 - 10:30
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time A
(Texts: Is 49,3.5-6 - Ps 39 - 1 Co 1.1-3 - Jn 1:29-34)
Welcoming remarks:
[Saturday evening ]
Brothers and sisters,
Tonight at The Huisserie we welcome the first group of engaged couples preparing for marriage. They will marry our parish, or elsewhere in the course of this year 2011. This is an opportunity for us to pray with them and pray for them, for the love of God flooded the building and they know their marriage on solid foundations.
[Sunday morning]
Brothers and sisters,
This second Sunday in Ordinary Time somehow makes the transition between Christmas time and ordinary time, coming back to the founding event that is the baptism of Jesus .
Homily:
"Yes, I saw and I give this testimony is he is the Son of God. " This is the testimony of John the Baptist. He who, impelled by God, baptized crowds to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, that he is given to clearly identify Jesus as the Messiah expected by Israel. His true identity is revealed to him. The one that so far as he knew the son of Mary, the cousin of his mother Elizabeth, God the Father tells him he is more than that: it is His Son, the Son of God which the Spirit descends and remains.
can say this is the second time that John the Baptist announces that, since from the bosom of his mother, he had rejoiced at the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, Visitation. So in this passage is revealed to us something fundamental about who God is one God and God is Trinity. Jean-Baptiste hears the voice of the Father, and he contemplates the Spirit descending upon the Son. No doubt that at the time, he does not understand all that this implies, but it demonstrates what we saw.
When he talks about Jesus, the first term he uses has become familiar, but perhaps it should come back: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. " This sentence, we reiterate the heart of every Eucharist, before communion. The lamb is in the biblical world the symbol of purity and innocence. That is why during the festival of Passover, is sacrificed a lamb unblemished. It is the sign of the salvation brought by God to Israel at the same time as the sacrifice that sealed the covenant between God and his people.
Jesus comes to renew the alliance. After him, there will be more sacrifices, because once and for all, giving his life for love on the cross, it is definitively conquered sin. Through the gift of his life, his death and resurrection, Christ enables humanity to emerge victorious from his battle against death and sin.
That does not mean that there is no sin in the world ... If we look at our lives with a modicum of honesty, we realize that we sometimes sin "in thought, word, by action or omission. " If we live in Christ, then we can be with Him, conquered sin and death. By our baptism we are incorporated in the Body of Christ. So we can live this baptism, live from the love of God, to most fall into the hands of the divider, the one who inspires us in our hearts away from God.
One of the great sins that wounded the Body of Christ is the division that exists between its members. Did we realize that when we say evil of a brother or sister, as soon as we seek to impose "our" truth rather than seek together God's truth, we hurt the Body of Christ ? This is not to be silent when we feel we have reason or say yes to everything. But when we open mouth, when we make a decision when we act in the Church, it is always first for the sake of unity and communion. That's how we build the Church and that we will bear witness to the Gospel. "It's the love you have for each other that all recognize you as my disciples. "
In fact, perhaps what we lack most is caring: when someone does something that does not please me, I often suspect want to oppose me, to want harm, one way or another. And if we did the other the gift of our benevolence: I do not speak such and such an act, I do not understand what you mean or do, but I do not condemn you a priori. I offer you my good and we will talk together to understand what is happening.
Tuesday, January 18 will open worldwide week of prayer for Christian unity. Making a place in our prayer for this intention, because the divisions among Christians are a scandal which hinders the coming of the Kingdom of God. Working together in unity and pray that that visible unity among the churches to move forward and, even within our church, between groups of different persuasions.
Amen.
David Journault †