Dearly Beloved,
First, thank you for a blessed and joyful Christmas season. Thanks to all who have participated and help to make Christ's birth a solemn and memorable occasion. Praise be the newborn King!
St John the Baptizer, the precursor of The Lord, calls Christ the Lamb of God. The image of the sacrificial lamb is preserved in the Holy Mass. At the elevation of the Species, the Priest says: "Behold, the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the lamb." It is also beautifully depicted in the upper stain glass window at St Mary above the entrance.
And this is the divine plan all along. God protected Israel from harm in Egypt at the first Passover. And in the fullness of time, The Lord's protection upon all who partake in the sacrificial meal. On the night of the Last Supper, Christ celebrates the Jewish Passover, but without the lamb, because he is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Although many Holy Martyrs and Saints made sacrifices for the faith, proclaiming the Good News, including John the Baptizer who suffered martyrdom at the hands of King Herod, but interestingly, there is only one that is worthy to be called the Lamb of God. And rightfully so because it is he, as John testifies is the Son of God, eternal, only beloved and begotten divine Son of the Father. There is only one Lamb of God and he is Christ our Lord.
The conclusion of the Christmas season now begins the season of Ordinary Time, which doesn't mean normal time, but from the Latin meaning that the days are numbered. In this year A of the liturgical cycle, we travel with The Lord daily with the help of St Matthew and experience the Lord's wise teachings, his healing touch, his hopeful words. For soon, we embark with him as he freely lays down his life and becomes the Lamb of God that St John points out. "Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb."
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