No. 11        January 16, 2011              (Cycle  A) II SUNDAY OF THE YEAR Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ENTRANCE ANTIPHON May all the earth give you worship and praise, and break into song to your name, O God, Most High. (Ps 65:4)   PENITENTIAL RITE   Jesus is ‘the Lamb of God’ who takes away the sin of the world. He healed and forgave all those who approached him in faith and with contrite hearts, and he continues to offer the same to everyone at every moment. At the beginning of this Eucharistic celebration, let us humbly confess our unworthiness before him, and implore him to heal us of all our infirmities and defilements and to make us whole. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God...   OPENING PRAYER   Father of heaven and earth, hear our prayers, and show us the way to peace in the world. Grant this…   FIRST READING   (This text is a messianic prophecy. Isaiah speaks about ‘the servant’, whom God chose to bring Israel back to Him, and not just Israel, but all peoples.)   A reading from the Book of Isaiah    (49:3,5-6)   The Lord said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength. The Lord says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” This is the Word of the Lord    PSALM   (39)   Response: Here I am Lord! I come to do your will.   I waited, I waited for the Lord and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry. He put a new song into my mouth, praise of our God. R./ You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I. R./ In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart. R./ Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord. R./   SECOND READING   (St Paul reminds the Corinthians of the purpose of the Messiah’s coming: the sanctification and true enlightenment of all peoples.)   A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians   (1:1-3)   I, Paul, called by the will of God to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Word of the Lord   ACCLAMATION   Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant hears: you have the words of eternal life. Alleluia! (1Sam 3:9; Jn 6:68)   GOSPEL   (Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus. St John the Baptist points to Jesus as the Messiah, the ‘chosen servant’ who takes away the sin of the world, and baptizes the people with the Holy Spirit.)   A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (1:29-34)   When John saw Jesus coming toward him he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” This is the Gospel of the Lord   I believe in God,/ the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/ his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./ He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/ was crucified, died, and was buried./ He descended to the dead./ On the third day he rose again./ He ascended into heaven,/ and is seated at the right hand of the Father./ He will come again to judge the living and the dead./ I believe in the Holy Spirit,/ the holy catholic Church,/ the communion of saints,/ the forgiveness of sins,/ the resurrection of the body,/ and the life everlasting./ Amen.   PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL   Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to our heavenly Father that the word of God may take root in our hearts and bear fruit in our lives, saying:   Response: Lord, graciously hear us.   1. We pray for our Holy Father, the Pope, bishops and clergy: that through their ministry all people may experience the tender mercy and steadfast love of God. R./ 2. Lord, we pray for peace and harmony among Christians of all denominations: heal the wounds caused by sin and division. R./ 3. Lord, we pray for all those who are burdened with problems, worries and fears: that they may experience the strength that comes from trust in God. R./ 4. We pray for our political and civil leaders: that they may show special concern for those suffering hardship and deprivation. R./ 5. For all gathered here: that Christ may deliver us from all sinful habits, and give us the spirit of true repentance to live by the Spirit. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs)   Cel: Heavenly Father, grant us your help in all our tasks, your guidance in all our doubts, your strength in all our weaknesses, your protection in all dangers, and your consolation in all our sorrows. We make this prayer...   PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS   Father, may we celebrate the Eucharist with reverence and love, for when we proclaim the death of the Lord you continue the work of his redemption, who is Lord for ever and ever.    PREFACE    (P 29)   Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through his cross and resurrection he freed us from sin and death and called us to the glory that has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. Everywhere we proclaim your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise:   All: Holy, holy, holy…   COMMUNION ANTIPHON   The Lord has prepared a feast for me: given wine in plenty for me to drink.   PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION   Lord, you have nourished us with bread from heaven. Fill us with your Spirit, and make us one in peace and love. We ask this…     LITURGY AND LIFE   The confession of John the Baptist John the Baptist, in the Gospel passage of today, solves the doubt regarding who is greater: ‘Jesus or himself’ since certain followers of John had a doubt. Hence, John confesses that “Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29); and he affirms the greatness of Jesus saying, “After me comes a man, who goes ahead of me, because he was before me” (Jn 1:30). The one who confessed the greatness of Jesus was later on accredited to be ‘the greatest born of woman’. Jesus the Lamb of God The presentation of Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ makes allusions to the Easter lamb on the occasion of the liberation of Egypt and also to the customary sacrifices of lambs in the Temple of Jerusalem for the expiation of sins. To appreciate Jesus better as the Lamb of God, we must consider the situation of humanity before the coming of Jesus: the human race was under the slavery of sin; had no power to liberate itself; and could not hope for a better future. In short, humanity was dead. The advent of Jesus gave new hope to humanity; by his life, he renewed the vigour of humanity, and by his death, he gave new life to humanity and brought it back to its original splendour. The Lamb of God renews the world Jesus continues to liberate us even today, because the present world, is far from that which it ought to be. There is rampant exploitation, violence, marginalization; there is lack of dialogue, sensitivity and forgiveness in the family; consumerism has reached its peak; craze for money justifies every heinous act; God seems to have a minor role in society today. Who can liberate us from these fetters? Jesus is the answer! Jesus is the source of joy, victory, peace and hope. Jesus can renew us and He wants to do it. But we must give him a chance; we must give him space in society; we must give him space in our personal lives. Be witnesses of Christian faith John the Baptist testifies to Jesus saying, “Here is the Lamb of God”; He humbled himself before Jesus saying, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me”; He proves the presence of the Spirit coming upon Jesus saying, “I saw the Spirit descending and it remained on him”. Humility and commitment to the God-given tasks, made John the Baptist ‘the greatest born of woman’. Sharing his Jesus-experience made him a great witness of the Son of God. Preparing the way of the Lord made him the greatest precursor of Jesus. The figure of John the Baptist reminds us of the nobility of our vocation and our obligation to be faithful to it. Like John, we must recognize the redeeming role of Jesus in history and especially in our personal lives; like John, we must accept the greatness of Jesus as one who has the power to save us from death; and like John we must become worthy witnesses of Jesus. The name “Christian” is not merely a name, but it is a way of life. The way of life of a Christian requires that one gives witness to Jesus through one’s words and actions. The healing, preaching and teaching ministry of Jesus is to be carried out today by his followers called Christians. —Fr Devasia Puthiyaparambil, ssp       January 2011            READINGS OF THE WEEK       Psalter Week 2 17 Mon (W) St Anthony, Ab, Heb 5:1-10/ Ps 109:1.2.3.4/ Mk 2:18-22 18 Tue (G) (Christian Unity Week begins), Heb 6:10-20/ Ps 110:1-2.4-5.9 & 10c/ Mk 2:23-28 19 Wed (G) Heb 7:1-3.15-17/ Ps 109:1.2.3.4/ Mk 3:1-6 20 Thu (R) St Fabian / St Sebastian, Heb 7:25 – 8:6/ Ps 39:7-8a.8b-9.10.17/ Mk 3:7-12 21 Fri (R) St Agnes, Heb 8:6-13/ Ps 84:8 & 10.11-12.13-14/ Mk 3:13-19 22 Sat (W) St Vincent of Saragossa, Heb 9:2-3.11-14/ Ps 46:2-3.6-7.8-9/ Mk 3:20-21