Behold the Lamb of God

(John 1:29-34)

If you ever see a picture or a statue of John the Baptist you notice that usually he is pointing a finger away from himself. John is always pointing out Jesus to those around him.  His vocation is to be the herald of the Lord.

All Christians share in the same vocation. In the midst of today’s world you are I are to be John the Baptists and to point Jesus out to our contemporaries. We can’t do it as the Baptist did. We can’t point to someone standing close by and say “look there is the Lord”. But we can do it by living a Christian life.  Jesus himself said that by the love we, his followers, have for each other will the world come to know him. Our charity is the most obvious way to show Jesus to the world.

We can also show the Lord to the world by our joy. If we are going around all day with longs faces, and always being negative then we are counter-signs to Jesus. If knowing Jesus doesn’t bring joy and hope into our lives then what is the point of knowing him.

We can also point to Jesus by being open about our religious practices. When people know we are church-goers, when they see holy pictures in our houses, when they know we are members of Youth 2000 or we go to youth retreats, all of these are ways of pointing Jesus out to the world. Those who are seeking will see.

Don’t be afraid to play the Baptist. Live your faith in Jesus and then others will see him in you.

Fr. John Harris OP