HOMILY SUNDAY 02 – Year A
Redeemed by Jesus; Healed by the Spirit
(Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40; 1Cor 1:1-3; John 1:29-34)
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A farmer once went to confession to admit that he had stolen some hay. When the confessor told the culprit that he would have to know how much he had stolen before giving him absolution, the farmer replied that he did not know as he was getting the rest that night!
Needless to say, that is not quite the right attitude to have towards the sacrament of reconciliation to truly repent and receive the gift of new life.
The readings today, indirectly, encourage us to experience new life through forgiveness and healing.
The Christmas season we have just finished is riddled with prophecies about Jesus that have been fulfilled. Our return to ordinary time, Year A, continues the trend. Isaiah prophesies in the person of whom he speaks. That person would be formed in the womb to be God’s servant, to restore Jacob to God, to gather Israel back to God. That person is honoured in the sight of the Lord and God has become his strength. Not only would he raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel, this person would be a light to the nations, and spread God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. We know of course that the person Isaiah speaks about is Jesus.
What is articulated in this particular passage, in a particular way, is the two-fold mission of Jesus to redeem and sanctify God’s people. Here, that mission is described as raising up and restoring Jacob and Israel, and spreading God’s salvation to the end of the earth. The connection with Jesus is that Jesus restores or redeems Jacob and Israel, meaning all of humanity, by forgiving our sins. And Jesus spreads God’s salvation to the end of the earth, in other words, sanctifies us, by healing us of our shortcomings, character defects and addictions.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist picks up where Isaiah leaves off. John explicitly and directly points out Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John states that he baptized with water to reveal Jesus to Israel. That he did by testifying that he had seen the Spirit of God descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on Jesus. John claims he did not know Jesus as messiah until the Father who had sent him to baptize with water spoke to him, and told him that the one on whom he would see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Finally, he concludes that he has seen and testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, let alone the Messiah.
To be more precise, what we see here is the Holy Trinity in loving action. The Father is the Lover, Jesus the Son is the Beloved, and the Spirit is the bond of Love between the Father and the Son, and between the Father and the Son and our wounded humanity.
The Father sent the beloved Son into the world to redeem the world through forgiveness. The sanctifying Spirit then heals us and makes us whole, so that, forgiven and healed through God’s unconditional love, we can be God’s instruments in building up the reign of God here on earth. Through his loving sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus has forgiven us; through the working of the Spirit of the Risen Lord within our hearts, minds and souls, we are sanctified, healed and made whole.
In the second reading from Corinthians, Paul continues the theme of forgiveness and healing. First, he asserts that he was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. He tells the Corinthians they are being sanctified by Jesus Christ to become saints. He goes further to state that everyone everywhere who calls on the name of the Lord is called to be a saint. For him, forgiveness is understood; taken for granted. What is important now is that his beloved Corinthians continue to grow in holiness and sanctity.
Even the psalmist hints at prophecy fulfilled, speaking either in his own person, or the person who is subject of the prophecies of Isaiah. Whomever that person is, either the psalmist or the Son of God, what is important is that God’s will be done.
It is very interesting that the Steps of the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous fit perfectly into the theological framework of Trinitarian redemption and sanctification, forgiveness and healing. Steps 4 & 5 of the program are all about receiving forgiveness from God, from ourselves, and from one other trusted person. In Steps 8 & 9, we receive forgiveness from all the persons we had harmed, apologizing to such persons and striving to make amends for the harm that we have inflicted on them.
Steps 6 & 7 are just the opposite. In working these Steps, we learn to forgive those who have harmed us, to express our emotions with love instead of acting out of anger, and thus receive healing, especially of our hidden anger and resentment towards those who have hurt us. The pattern is complete – redemption and sanctification, forgiveness and healing happening to us by working these steps of the 12 Step program.
Actually, miracles have happened to those who have worked these steps. One woman in particular was able to finally forgive her brother-in-law who had sexually abused her as a child, and to his surprise, was even able to apologize to him for the harsh way she had treated him for over 35 years, acting out of her anger and un-forgiveness towards him. They were truly reconciled through the grace of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, working through these simple yet profound steps of the 12 Step program.
The Eucharist is itself an experience of redemption and sanctification, of forgiveness and healing. Whenever we participate in the Eucharist with sincere faith, like the woman in the gospel, we are touching the garment of Christ, and receiving forgiveness and healing.
So, on this second Sunday of Ordinary time, we are encouraged to experience the extraordinary, the marvellous – the new life of Christ who redeems us through forgiveness, and heals us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
