Working with the Word

Focusing the Gospel 

Key words and phrases:  Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world, existed before me, Spirit come down and remain, baptize with the Holy Spirit, I have seen and testified, Son of God

To the point: This gospel is a testimony of what John has come to know about who Jesus is: Lamb of God, One who forgives sins, One who preexists, One who is Spirit-filled, One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, Son of God. But John’s testimony does not exhaust the richness of Jesus’ identity; there is even more. The mystery of who Jesus is continues to be revealed to us and through us today. What more are we discovering? What more are we revealing?

Connecting the Gospel …

… to the Second Reading:  As God formed Isaiah from his mother’s womb to be his prophet and a “light to the nations,” so are we called from our baptism to be that same “light to the nations,” revealing the Christ in us to all those we meet.

… to experience: We sometimes hear limited and even trite descriptions of who Jesus is, for example, “Jesus is the answer” or WWJD. But the richness of the mystery of Christ encompasses a breadth and depth that cannot be exhausted in quick answers or pithy statements. Nor can it be exhausted even in a life faithfully lived.

**From Saint Louis University