John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
John
the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming
after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know
him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made
known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down
like a dove from heaven and remain un him. I did not know him, but the one who
sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down
and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have
seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
“Behold the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.”
“It
is too little … for you to raise up the tribes of Jacob … I will make you a
light to the nations.” These words of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah in
today’s first reading not only apply to the suffering servant we know as Jesus
of Nazareth but they can also be applied to His church.
Three
great images of the church have been given emphasis by the Second Vatican
Council. They are the church as the Body of Christ, the church as the People of
God and the church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Each of these entails a
powerful and challenging theology that enables us to grasp something of the
mystery of the church. As the Body of Christ, we are united in our diversity. As
the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the church is energized and animated not only by
human enthusiasm and ingenuity but by the very Spirit of God. As the People of
God, the church is called to reach out to the whole human race without
exception.
Each
of these images, however, is difficult to visualize. There is another image from
secular society that captures an important dimension of the church and that is
the image of the lighthouse. In today’s first reading, the Lord summons the
people of Judah to be a light to the nations.
We
have all seen various pictures of a lighthouse standing strong, tall and
commanding on a cliff, sometimes shown with waves crashing at its base while the
lighthouse shines its light to guide and warn people at sea. The
lighthouse shines its light for small boats and great ships. It shines its light
for rich and for poor. It shines its light for the powerful and the powerless.
It shines its light, steady and bright, in all kinds of weather.
That
is also the mission of the church. The church is called and anointed to preach
Gospel truth to all people, to all political parties and to every generation.
People may ignore the lighthouse’s beam at their own peril, but it continues to
spread its light into the darkest night.
The
lighthouse is a vivid image because it is direct, clear and familiar.
Lighthouses were essential for safe navigation in the last century. Today,
navigation relies on the Global Positioning System or GPS. But the lighthouse is
still a potent image.
We
could say that the church is a living lighthouse, built not of stone and mortar
but of disciples. Each of us is called to be a carrier of Christ’s light and
truth. Each parish is called also to be an expression of the universal church.
Each parish in its own way is a manifestation of the universal church that
lives, as St. Paul writes, in Corinth or, we could add, in Paris, Los Angeles,
Berlin, Luray or Alexandria. We are all called to manifest the church where we
live, as St. Paul writes, in union with Christians everywhere. The church is not
an abstraction but lives in and through each of us.
This
is an important point on which to reflect since these weeks between the
Christmas and Lenten seasons call us to reflect on our mission as a church. We
are not spiritual lone rangers fighting the good fight or shining the good light
all by ourselves. We are part of a church. There are many issues we are called
to confront today. No one can engage them all. But collectively, precisely
because we are the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit and the People
of God, we can be the lighthouse for our world. Like John the Baptist in today’s
Gospel, we point the way to Christ. He saw and testified that Christ is the Son
of God. Now, John’s mission is our own.
John
the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming
after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know
him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made
known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down
like a dove from heaven and remain un him. I did not know him, but the one who
sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down
and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have
seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”