In the Walk towards the knowledge and acceptance of Christ: Year A

2ND SUNDAY – A: (Is 49:3,5-6; 1Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34)
Theme: John the Baptist, the authentic model for the testimony
Reflection:
First Reading:
- It’s God who moulds his servant
- God’s servant is called from the womb of his mother, which means, it’s not the personal choice of the servant but God’s will.
- The servant is to restore the fallen tribes of Israel in the OT.
Psalm: every servant has to realize and sing his call saying: Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.
Second Reading:
- St. Paul testifies himself as called to be an Apostle of Christ
- The true Apostle diffuses the grace of God to other: “grace and peace form God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Gospel:
- Servant stands between the revelation and proclamation
- John, as the last prophet of the OT and the first testimony of the NT, stand between the revealed Word-Christ (God in the mystery) and the redeemer Jesus-Christ (God in the history).
- John accepts himself as the testimony to the light which has come and not the light himself.
- Humility is not degrading of oneself but accepting of the grandeur of the One who has called him to be.
- The authentic testimony sees the presence/descent of the Holy Spirit and his action on the servant who is on mission.

We have the great example of John the Baptist to be followed in our walk towards testifying Christ with our words and deeds.

3RD SUNDAY - A: (Is 8:23-9:3; 1Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23)
Theme: Discipleship is “Entering into the camp of Christ”
Reflection:
- Prophecy finds its fulfillment in the mission accomplished
- The Old Testament has to wait for the New Testament for its final completion
- The WORD (Christ’s origin in the mystery) Spoken in the OT becomes the ACTION (Christ’s origin as Jesus in the history)
- The salvation is not of Just a Word but of a Real Action.
First Reading:
- Light is promised to all those who live in the darkness
- Light is compared with the joy
- Light dispels the burden of the yoke of opposition
Psalm: the one who finds true light cannot but embrace it with the melodious chanting: “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
2nd Reading:
- The one who is in Christ is not divided within himself nor with others
- The light of gospel breaks the barriers of division and unites
- Preaching of the Gospel precedes the baptism “Christ has sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel.”
- All those in Christ are one in talking
- The chosen one of Christ HAS point out the existing divisions and exhort for the perfect union in the community of believers.
Gospel:
- Jesus calls his first disciples, not from the house but from the working place, for fishermen, the seashore is a working place.
- Jesus call and mission does not depend on the capacity and talent of the called but on the power and destiny of the call.
- The world sees the ignorance of the fishermen in knowledge but Christ sees the knowledge of the heart, be it fishermen or someone else.
- The acceptance of the call is “to enter into the camp or sphere of Christ”
- The cost of the call is ‘to leave their securities such as home, work and all the attachments which could hinder the mission”.

In our walk towards Christ, we have to leave out what is ours and take what is of Christ and be with him IN HIS CAMP.