Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Currently, we are in the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time –
Year A. The Christmas season has been concluded last weekend at the
Feast of the Baptism of Christ at the Jordan River. After the birth
of Christ on the 25th of December, there was the feast of
the Holy Family, then the feast of Epiphany, and then the feast of
Baptism of Christ.
The Baptism of Christ is significant because it is the beginning
of his public ministry. That is after the 30 years of his hidden
life in Nazareth of Galilee. The Baptism of the Lord is also
significant because it is the first Luminious mystery of the Rosary.
But it is also when the Holy Trinity is apocolypsis, meaning
unveiled. God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is unveiled to
humanity. God the Father, from heaven affirms the divinity of
Christ: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen
to Him!” And the Holy Spirit, who is also God, the third person of
the Blessed Trinity, descended upon Christ like a Dove. This
unveiling is not an idea that is created by humanity, but it is God's
self-disclosure. It is God who reveals God-self to humanity, in the
fullness of time.
Following the Baptism at the Jordan, Christ begins his public
ministry. St. Ambrose once describe that Christ is beginning the
work of restoring His Father's house. At the age of 12, when his
parents found him at the temple, the Blessed Mother says: “Son, why
have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for
you with great anxiety.” And he said to them: “Why were you
looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's
house?” Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was
obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.
According to St. Ambrose, the Lord restores his Father's house,
but he doesn't begin with the roof of the house. He begins at the
ground level, at the bottom rung. He begins with the people that
were not acceptable by the majority. He restores sight to the blind,
the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the mute to speak, lepers are
cleansed, and tax collectors and sinners are forgiven. Eventually,
the Lord makes his way to the roof of the house in his encounter with
King Herod, Annas the High Priest, and Pontius Pilate.
St. John the Baptist gives an image of Christ that is preserved
within the Liturgy. St. John says: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sins of the world.”
One thing to keep in mind, when hearing this particular passage is
that in Jerusalem, there are actually 10 gates into the city. The
ten gates are the sheep gate, fish gate, old gate, the valley gate,
Dung Gate, the Fountain Gate, Water Gate, Horse Gate, East Gate,
Inspection Gate.
After the exile in Babylon, the Israelites were allowed to return
home. And it was Nehemiah who took charge in the rebuilding of the
Temple, and the City of Jerusalem. In chapter 3, Nehemiah places
certain people in charge to rebuild the gates that lead into the
city.
When Christ entered the city, he would go through the Sheep Gate.
The Sheep Gate leads to an area where Lambs were sacrificed and
prepared for the Temple Offerings. It is fitting that Christ entered
through that gate, because he is the Lamb of God. His sacrifice on
the Holy Cross is to redeem sinners to God.
The
gates of Jerusalem is a significant image because it could be a
meeting place for people. I will be meeting you at this particulate
gate for instance. The gate is also a point of entry. One cannot
enter into the city without going through one of those gates.
It
would be like saying Christ is the gateway to heaven. Because the
Lord says: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come
to the Father except through me.” Christ is the gateway to heaven.
He gives directions to God because he is also God, con-substantial
to God the Father.
Coming
up on Monday, is the Holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
He is an advocate for civil rights. Many people see him as the
gateway to the Civil Rights movement. His sacrifice, commitment and
service, made it possible to change the way we think and view people
that are of a different color and background. It's a blessings that
our nation has undergone these kinds of social changes. It's also
interesting that there were other spiritual leaders in the Civil
Rights Movement, such as Malcolmn X. But certainly, the peaceful
means of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. promoted and secured civil
rights, is memorable and honored in our nation. He is honored
because he is like a lamb that is being led to the slaughter, the
gateway to Civil Rights.
Similarly,
as we look into the Gospel when the Lord begins his public ministry,
he is a light not to just one nation, but all nations and all people.
The Magis from the East traveled from the East because the light was
shining for them. Even Roman soldiers had a change of heart, for
instance the one that stood and saw the Sacrifice of Christ on
Calvary said: “Truly, this man is the Son of God.”
Coming
up on Tuesday Morning is a gathering at the steps of the State
Capital. It is there in Olympia that people come together to promote
life. We listen to a number of representatives share their
perspectives on being pro-life. So that it may change the way that
we think, and changes the way that we view those who are in the womb.
The small things that we do are sacrifices, imitating the Lamb of
God that takes away the sins of the world.
GK
Chesteron once said that a soldier who goes into battle, his hatred
for that which is in front of him does not compare to the people that
he loves standing behind him.” He is willing to go the distance,
to make the necessary sacrifices, to be a sacrificial lamb for the
people that he love.
“Behold,
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
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