SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY (THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS) 3RD JANUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY (THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS) 3RD JANUARY 2024

1John 2:29-3:6; Ps.98; John 1:29-34

We are Children of God

Yesterday, John humbly admitted that he is not the Christ. When the Christ comes, He will do mightier works than himself. John did not just describe the person and mission of Christ, he further showed Him to the world. The context in which John did this is quite striking. Jesus was approaching John, precisely to be baptized by him. This gesture will ordinarily suggest the subordination of the candidate for baptism to the minister.

Anyone would have taught that if Jesus is truly greater than John the Baptist, he should not be going to John for baptism; the reverse should rather be the case. John’s exclamation “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” immediately sent the signal that Jesus’ presence before him for baptism was unlike that of others. Jesus later confirmed this signal when He insisted that John should baptize Him just to fulfil all righteousness. The voice from heaven further confirmed this signal.

Beloved, one thing we learn from this encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist is that we must not neglect or overlook the little ways Jesus comes to us in our daily lives. Whenever God gives us a gift, He also presents Himself as a beneficiary of that gift. For he says: “when you did this to the least of my brethren, you did it to me”. In attending to the needy, many saints have testified that they attended to the Lord Himself.

When we are committed to serving the Lord, then we will be disposed to recognizing Him. But if our disposition is selfish, we will be seeing only ourselves. Such a person cannot see God not to talk of showing Him to others.

In the first reading, St. John reminds us that we are children of God, we are related to Him and so we must necessarily resemble Him in deeds. And so, as this New Year begins, let the measuring stick for our actions not be what we stand to gain but how we can grow in holiness. God is holy; without holiness, no one can see God. What sort of child is that that is not able to see the father?