Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The next day as John stood there again with two of his disciples, Jesus went past, and John looked towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God.' And the two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.” (Jn 1, 35-37). The figure of John the Baptist returns several times in the Gospel, at crucial moments in the life of Jesus and the 'fledgling' Church. John is the Precursor, from the beginning, from the instant when, still in the womb of his mother Elizabeth, when the Virgin Mary arrives he rejoices at the presence of the Messiah (cfr. Lc 1, 44).
John the Baptist points Him out to his disciples after the Baptism in the River Jordan, when the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove (cfr. Mk 1, 10). He presents him with that exclamation which is still heard in churches all over the world during Mass when the priest presents the Holy Eucharist to the faithful and says: “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world ”.
These were the words of the Precursor who continues through the centuries his unique mission: to prepare souls for the encounter with Jesus, the bridegroom! He says he is “the bridegroom's friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom's voice.” (Jn 3, 29). That joyful exclamation caused a quiver of joy within the souls of the first two disciples of Jesus, formerly disciples of great John: when “the two disciples heard what he said.” (Jn 1, 37) they found the strength to follow Jesus.
Those were the first steps behind the Divine Master, and many more were to follow. The first steps are always decisive in the story of a vocation! Andrew and John, without that “push”, would never have left their “shell”, they would never have had the marvellous experience of those years, learning to become like Jesus, the true and only goal of every call to follow Him. It was the Baptist's love for Jesus which put them on the path to holiness. There is always some special person, often another priest, at the beginning of a call to the priesthood!
It was that love which gave Jesus his first disciples “What do you want”? Were the first words Jesus addressed to them when he saw them following Him. The reply came quickly but it was awkward: “Master, where do you live”? And so Jesus drew them to Him for ever: “come and see” (cfr. Jn 1, 38-39).
The origin of that vocational path was the Baptist's love for Jesus. That day they too learned to contemplate him. They learned to love Him with all their heart. When we love someone we look at them with tenderness: as a mother looks at her child, only a mother can look in this way; like a bridegroom who looks at his bride, he alone looks at her in this way!
We are all called to fall in love with Jesus. This is the vocation of all those chosen to "represent" Jesus; not only at Mass, when we show to everyone the Body and Blood of Christ, after the consecration, not only when we preach and announce Him, we must also present Him with our life. Only if we truly love Him, can we follow Him.
Often a call to follow Jesus is prompted by the example of looking with love at Jesus, of a heart set on Him, a captivating word flowing from the abundance of sincere love for Him. Blessed are those able to speak in this way and blessed are those who listen!
Without this example, there can be no real vocation pastoral, no authentic evangelisation because the Lord has bound himself to our love. He wanted to need us, to achieve his plan of salvation he wanted human coooperation with his grace. Cooperation means loving Him with all our heart, mind and strength and loving others with this same love!
We see this in an exemplary way in the vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the incarnation of the Word of God could only happen with her “behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”. And she became our Mother by order of grace. The title “Mother of humanity” is not simply honorary, it expresses one of the most beautiful truths of our Christian faith: the unconditioned self-giving of the humble handmaid of the Lord to the plan of salvation, made possible all our personal and community giving, even that of John the Baptist!
So we can say that those words of “Behold the Lamb of God”, before they were said by John, must have been said so many times by the Virgin Mary in the depth of her heart. Before all of us, Tthat immaculate heart received and cared for the Son of God in order to give Him to the world, as she gave Him to Elisabeth, Zaccariah and the little John the Baptist. She continues to give Him to each of us, teaching us to welcome as she did: with total humility and love in order to offer Him to others. (Agenzia Fides 21/1/2009; righe 58, parole 827)
