Gospel of John, chapter 1:29

In the middle ages artists used to paint what, at first glance, seemed to be just ordinary scenes of daily life. Upon closer inspection, however, such paintings revealed a multitude of surprises. The observant eye could recognize any number of “secret” happenings and meanings in such pictures.

In today’s gospel, St. John the Baptist invites us to open our eyes to recognize the presence of the Messiah who takes away the sin of the world. Not just the sins that were committed back then, but the sin of the world that is always with us. We are invited to look deep into the ordinary lives we live and the ordinary people with whom we live, and to recognize the secret, extraordinary nary presence of the one we call Lord and savior.

In a wonderful piece of literature, which parallels Mary’s Magnificat, the prophet Isaiah describes the coming of the one on whom God’s Spirit will rest. This Messiah will bring good news to broken hearts and lives; liberty to the enslaved; and vindication to all who receive Him. The whole tenor of the Isaiah passage is one of joy and liberation.

The good news of Jesus declares that joy, prayer, and thanks are to be the activities of those who accept Him. If we set about changing our lives, we will be open to the movement of the spirit among us and be able to discern its meaning in our lives. In the gospel, John the Baptist urges us to recognize Jesus among us. For only in such recognition is true and lasting joy to be found.

This is a secret that we should share, not by telling it, but by living it. The divine secret is that God is never absent, only secreted in the hearts of those around us. It is our joy to pass it on, not by telling it, but by living it. Pass it on!

! Pass it on!

Fr. Hugh Duffy

* * * Do not miss tomorrow’s blog on Vocation * * *