Albert Camus in his novel Fall wrote: ‘what would be our fallen nature without the ‘Lamb
of God’ John the Baptist announced! If not forgiven, man is condemned to eternal hate;
needed a savior to reverse the sin of the world, the fall of mankind. Such a savior would
have to be someone who is pure love and truth’. Pointing to Jesus, John the Baptist
says, he is that savior, the Lamb of God, who came to heal and transform a wounded
humanity; instead of feeding on others, he became our food and drink. He is love, ‘God
so loved the world he gave us his Son’; he is the way, truth and life who fulfills desire for
God! John the Baptist is saying that in Jesus you ‘behold the face of God, who is
compassion and forgiveness’. Jesus takes away the sin of the world and not mere
personal failures. Sin of the world is the world in opposition to God, corrupt, unjust
systems the hardness of human hearts create. Jesus helps create space in us to build
his kingdom of love and restore the goodness of the world that God saw in creation!
Jesus Lamb of God, takes away sin means, he shows us, his creation a way out of our
failures, the way of love. He is the passover Lamb, the suffering servant of God who
entered into human suffering to bring to light human sin, things that weigh us down, our
false self images, that we may experience his compassion, his grace and become free
to love, build healthy families and communities. Lamb of God teaches that love,
compassion endures all. Lamb of God invites us to step into the imperfections of the
world to change it. Mother Teresa stepped into human misery, transformed it and gave
hope to many for a better life. She first experienced the Lamb of God who gave her that
freedom to love to be compassionate! Jewish young woman Etty Hillesum killed in
Auschwitz wrote in her diary: ‘I am not easily frightened, not because I am brave but
because I know that I am dealing with human beings and that I must try as hard as I can
to understand everything that anyone ever does. And that was the real import of this
morning: not that a disgruntled young Gestapo officer yelled at me but that I felt no
indignation, rather a real compassion. Yes, he looked harassed and driven, sullen and
weak. What needs eradicating is the evil in man, not man himself! Waiting for her own
death, she attained that freedom to show compassion! Etty’s words echo Jesus’ prayer
for his crucifiers: ‘Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing’!
Jesus the Lamb of God takes away what is hurting in life through his compassion.
Compassion is the medicine of the soul; God’s power resides in compassion. Make it a
daily task that you be compassionate to your own self, you hold in compassion hurting
people in your life. Contemplating the Lamb of God with us provides us the strength to
be compassionate; he gives himself in the Eucharist, the mystery of his dwelling with us!
It is by being mindful of Jesus’ presence in everyday life, in the family, at work, in every
encounter with others, in serving the needs of the church and community that we break
the power of hatred/evil and experience wellness/salvation. In baptism we are called to
witness to this Christ, lamb of God, who transforms us into compassionate beings that
we be a light and healing presence to all!