St. John Nepomucene

“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  These are the words of John the Baptist as an adult man pointing out the long awaited Messiah to the people of Israel.  These are the same words which we hear at every Mass as the Host and Chalice are raised for all to see.  They are so familiar that perhaps they have lost some of their force.  So let’s take a closer look at this marvelous invitation.
 
“Behold”.  Don’t just glance.  Behold!  Look deeply, carefully and prayerfully.  Look with the expectation that you will discover something important.  Trust that Jesus wants to reveal Himself to you.
 
“Behold the Lamb of God.”  What are you beholding?  God’s greatest gift to the world, to you is Jesus.  You are beholding Jesus, the one true sacrifice sent from heaven.  He is the spotless Lamb, innocent of all sin and meek and gentle of heart.  He is the fulfillment of ancient Israel’s Passover celebration.  He has come so that you can pass over from death to life, from slavery to freedom. 
 
“Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away sin.”  Look closely.  See in this Host the promise of forgiveness.  See Jesus, who surrendered His Body and Blood on the Cross for you.  See Jesus, Who has taken your very sin upon Himself and brought it into the grave with Him.  See Him rising again, leaving your sin behind in that grave, where it remains today, dead and buried.  You are no longer bound by it.  Jesus has born it away and you can walk away from it too, step by halting step, as you continue to place you faith in Him.
 
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  Not just your sin, but the sin of every single person on earth-past, present and future.  No one is devoid of hope.  Everyone can know forgiveness and freedom.  Even the people you are struggling to forgive.  Behold Him and believe that He can bring reconciliation and healing to all people.  (Above taken from The Word Among Us – January 19, 2020.)
 
Behold the Lamb of God!  And receive Him with joy and an open heart as you pray, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, speak but the word, and my soul shall be healed.”
 
As we pray, repent and do penance over the Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion in this country, it is good to pause and reflect upon this.  The first person outside of the Virgin Mary to recognize the Messiah was an unborn baby.  It happens during the Visitation, when Mary, pregnant with Jesus visits Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.  What happens?  Do you remember?  Scripture states, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.”  Yes, John the Baptist, as an unborn baby was the first person outside of Mary to recognize the Messiah.  St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta asks all of us to keep this in mind as we meditate upon the sacred beginnings of human life.  As both an adult and an as an unborn baby, John the Baptism beheld Him.  May we Behold Him as well today and every day of our lives.