Sunday Reflections - SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

 LIGHT FOR THE LIVING

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

(Isaiah 49:3, 5–6; 1 Corinthians 1:1–3; John 1:29–34)

My beloved in Christ,

In a small rural community in Abia State, there once lived a man called Pa Okorie, famous not for farming alone but for his sharp tongue and comic wisdom. Pa Okorie owned many goats, but there was one particular goat that caused him endless trouble. Whenever visitors came, all the goats would scatter—except this one. The goat would stand still, chewing calmly, as if saying, “I am the one you are looking for.”

One market day, a visitor asked Pa Okorie,
“Which of these goats is yours?”

Without hesitation, Pa Okorie pointed and said loudly,
“That one! The stubborn one that refuses to hide.”

Everyone laughed. But Pa Okorie added,
“When something is truly yours, you don’t guess. You point.”

 

John Points — Not Guesses

That simple village wisdom captures the heart of today’s Gospel. John the Baptist does not guess who Jesus is. He does not speculate. He points.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
(John 1:29)

John the Baptist identified Jesus not by blood relationship—though they were cousins—but by revelation from God:

“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.”
(John 1:32)

And John concludes with certainty:

“Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
(John 1:34)

Like Pa Okorie pointing at his goat, John points clearly to Jesus Christ and says, “This is the One.”

 

The Lamb Who Takes Away Sin

By calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John connects Him to sacrifice, redemption, and deliverance. The lamb is not a decoration; it is an offering. Jesus comes not to entertain the world but to save it.

This means that Christianity is not built on opinions or emotions, but on recognition and witness.

 

Called and Sent: Isaiah and Paul

In the First Reading, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that calling is not accidental:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’”
(Isaiah 49:3)

And God expands the mission:

“I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
(Isaiah 49:6)

Saint Paul echoes this truth in the Second Reading:

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”
(1 Corinthians 1:1)

Calling always comes before sending. Recognition comes before mission.

 

Saints in the Marketplace

Back in Pa Okorie’s village, someone once asked him,
“Pa, when will you rest from all this farm work?”

He replied,
“The day yam decides to plant itself.”

Holiness works the same way. Saints are not formed by waiting but by daily obedience. We become saints not by extraordinary miracles alone, but by doing the will of God in ordinary activities—in the home, the office, the farm, and the street.

 

Living the Word Today

Like John the Baptist, we are called:

• To recognise Christ
• To point others to Him
• To be light in a confused world

Christian life is not silent faith. It is visible witness.

 

Sunday Reflection

My beloved,
John the Baptist points out Jesus Christ, his cousin, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and who will baptise with the Holy Spirit through revelation granted him by God.

We have also been called, like Isaiah and Paul, to embrace Christ’s mission by becoming witnesses and light to the world. We can actually become saints by doing the will of God.

May God bless you as you become a saint in your daily activities.

Happy Sunday.

Rev. Fr. Chinedu Ibearugbulem, C.S.Sp