First Reading Commentary
The name "Israel" is used three
times in this Reading but the only way to make any sense of this passage is to
understand that the first Israel has a different meaning than the remaining
two. The first Israel, described here as
a servant through whom the Lord will show His glory, clearly is a prophecy
about the Messiah. The remaining two
speak of the nation of Israel. Most
likely the author used the name "Israel" to prophesy the coming of
the Messiah because it is through the nation of Israel that He would come.
God's initial plan for the servant is to
bring back Jacob to Him and have the nation of Israel gathered to Him. The mission here, then, is a spiritual
one. There does, however, seem to be a
political mission as well which is to restore Israel's exiles. But as we know, Christ did not come for
political reasons and perhaps that is prophesied here when the Lord says that
the political mission is too little for the servant. God clearly calls His servant to be a light
to all nations so that His salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
Christ extended that
mission to all His disciples when He said: "Teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19). With these words, then, we not only see
Christ as the Messiah but also ourselves as the Body of Christ included in God's
plan of salvation and co-fulfillers of the Messianic prophecy. It is, of course, our Lord's love for us that
compelled Him to include us in such an intimate way.
Second Reading Commentary
Saint Paul had previously preached to the
Corinthians and spent a great deal of time with them but after his departure
several divisions began to form among the people of Corinth. Many emotional wounds were inflicted on the
population because of these divisions.
This letter from Paul was an effort on his part to heal those
wounds.
There are a few opinions as to who Sosthenes
is, but the most accepted thought is that he was a great sufferer for the faith
in Corinth; and Saint Paul mentions him here to highlight him as a model to
follow. If this opinion is correct, it
should be noted that this particular man named Sosthenes of Corinth was once a
staunch enemy of Paul and must have had a conversion experience. Other conjectures are that he is the same
Sosthenes who was beaten before the tribunal in Gallio (cf. Acts 18:17); or that possibly he was Paul's secretary.
In this letter Paul reminds the Corinthians
that they are called to unity but that Corinth is not being singled out; this
unity of the faith is intended for all those everywhere who call upon the Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This Reading closes
with a familiar greeting from Saint Paul: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of its familiarity it would be easy to pass over this greeting
quickly without giving it much consideration but think about how floored you
would be if someone said it to you; or consider how much courage it takes for
you to say it to someone you've just met.
Gospel Commentary
Saint John the Baptist, as the prophesied precursor,
was given the graces to fulfill that office; and now in this Gospel passage he reveals
what he knows: First, Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the
world. Secondly, even though Jesus was
born after John, He existed before John and ranks ahead of John. Thirdly, John proclaims that he saw the Spirit
descend from heaven and remain on Jesus.
Fourthly, Jesus is the One Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. And finally, like a good mystery novel, John
the Baptist saves the real jaw dropper for last: Jesus is the Son of God.
A lamb symbolizes innocence but it cannot be
easily determined if John is identifying Jesus as a Victim when he proclaims
Christ as the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world. Today, all of us without hesitation could
read Victimization into John's statement because we know the fullness of the
Jesus story; and that being a Victim was necessary to take away the sin of the
world.
In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah a cruel
destiny is alluded to with the words, "Like a lamb led to the slaughter"
(Isaiah 53:7); but whether John the
Baptist had this in mind is uncertain.
Even though Jesus was born after John, Christ
is depicted as existing before John which identifies Jesus as God and Man
although the hearers of John's proclamation probably didn't make that
connection. When John says, "I did
not know Him" most likely he means by physical visualization since John
spent about twenty years of his life in the wilderness. John knew Christ was of Divine Origin even
before the appearance of the Holy Spirit as a Dove because when Christ came to
be baptized, John said to Him: "I ought to be baptized by You" (Matthew 3:14).
The Church calls us
today to evangelize, to prepare the way for Christ's return. No one in the Church is excused from this
mission.
