2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
This week the prophet Isaiah caught my attention. And the prophet caught my attention because of something he says to us today. “Now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb.” Who formed me as his servant from the womb. This is a term used 72 times in scripture, all the way from the Book of Genesis through Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
I think “womb for justice” captures a fundamental truth of what any parish is to be about. Parishes are communities of faith where Christians are formed, knit it together, made. No one is born a Christian. Christians are made. And in our Catholic community, this happens through our sacramental life together. This happens through our wrestling with scriptures and our wrestling with the world. Like Isaiah, we are formed to be servants of God’s grace. But to what end? Isaiah tells us today, so that “God’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” And how are we supposed to accomplish this? Isaiah again: “I will make you a light to the nations.” A light, a light.
Honestly, personally, I would have preferred something else. Something with more punch to it. Make me God, a wind. Or make me God, an earthquake. Or if it has to have something to do with light, then make me a laser beam! But make me something that can change others. Make me something that will give me power over others… for their own good, of course. But a light? A light can only illuminate. A light can only invite. A light can only point out the presence of another.
Yet now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb. “I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God makes us lights and asks us to trust that this will be enough. To trust that God knows what God is doing. As lights we Christians are called to witness Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist, we are knit together in the womb of Mother Church to go to the world and say, “Behold! Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in me.” How? How do we do this? By the lives we live. By our acts of charity and service done expressly in the name of Jesus Christ. We do this by our worship of God in this place and by the way we illuminate Christ out there in that place.
So, this morning I invite you to ask yourself, “how does my life in this faith community say to the world behold the Lamb of God?” Maybe it will be through the way that we honor one another. Maybe it will be through the way we listen to one another. Maybe it will be through the way we are present to one another in this community, even when we are tempted to be distracted.
GIVE EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMUNITY WITNESS…marriages, service, etc.
Declare to all, “Behold the Lamb of God in me. Behold Christ in my life. Behold Christ in my decisions. Behold Christ in my service and sacrifice for others.” Do this, then as Saint Paul writes today in his letter to the Corinthians, we will be sanctified in Christ Jesus and called holy.
