John 1:29-34
Lead in: Our faith is not just inspired by philosophical ideas that appeal to our vision of how we think life should be. It unfolds within the ups and downs of life and is rooted in events that took place in the lives of real people. The Jesus to whom we commit our lives is not a mythic character. Jesus is
someone who was born in history, in a specific period of history, and at a particular place in time.
Jesus interacted with real life people like John the Baptist. If we are to be Jesus’ disciples, we must learn to be mindful of the sacredness of the personal history of our own story.
Prompt: If you were to write an autobiography, what role does Christ have in shaping your story?
Lead in: One day, John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him. As Jesus drew near him, he was moved to say, “Behold, the lamb of God. He is the one.”
Prompt: If you were to see Jesus walking toward you, what would you be moved to say? What would you want to ask him?
Lead in: At Mass, as the priest holds up the host he says, “Behold the Lamb of God, he who takes away the sin of the world.” The sacrificial lamb who gave his life for us now invites us to give our lives for others. This speaks to the love that Eucharist challenges us to live.
Prompt: If Eucharist is the sharing of the sacrificial lamb who gave his life for us, reflect on a time when, out of love, you willingly sacrificed for the sake of another.
Prompt: Is there an area in your life where it’s harder to make the sacrifices that love demands of us?
Lead in: As he speaks of Jesus, John the Baptist is moved to say, “I have seen and have testified that he is the one.” We may think that if our faith were really strong like John the Baptist’s faith, we’d be able to say without hesitation, “Yes, I too have seen and testify that Jesus is the one who gives
meaning to all in my life that seems to not make sense.” Faith often does not come that easily.
Prompt: Even though Jesus is the one who gives meaning to our lives, reflect on a time when not all in your life was making sense.
Lead in: Isaiah 49 speaks of our call to be servants. In First Corinthians 1, Paul reminds us that we are called to be holy.
Prompt: What is the relationship between the call to be a servant and the call to be holy? In your
experience, what tells you that you can’t have one without the other?