Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr Gospel: Mk 3:1-6 The Lord on the Sabbath
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the martyrdom of St. Agnes. St. Ambrose, the bishop, tells us that today is St. Agnes’s birthday, and it is said that she was martyred at the age of twelve. The heinous violence did not spare even this young girl. The power of faith was so immense that it led such a young maiden to bear witness to it. Her slender body had hardly any space to bear wounds, yet she was able to endure such a blow and even overcome it. Girls of her age cannot even bear the anger of their own parents, and when pricked by a needle, they cry out as if severely wounded. But when she faced the blood-stained executioners, she showed no fear. She remained unmoved while bearing the heavy chains; she surrendered her entire body to the swords of the brutal soldiers. She was so young that she did not even understand death, yet she was prepared to face it. Against her will, they dragged her to the altar. Amid the flames, she stretched out her hands to God and, on the blasphemous altar, made the gesture of Christ’s victory. Her neck and hands were bound by chains, but her slender limbs were not restrained.
Today’s Mass Gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark, which tells of how Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath and the controversy that ensued.
We often act like those who were spying on Jesus today, enjoying finding fault with others and using their weaknesses to attack them. Those who were observing Jesus’ today were no different. They hoped to find flaws in everything Jesus did so that they could attack and frame Him. For in their view, one should work for six days and rest on the seventh day. So, if someone healed another person on the seventh day, they were not observing the law regarding the Sabbath that God had established.
Today, when Jesus saw the man with a withered hand living in great pain, He did not choose to turn a blind eye. On the contrary, Jesus chose to take the initiative to reach out, setting an example for us. As Christians, whenever we see those who are seriously ill or in difficult situations in our daily lives, we should also, like Christ, take the initiative to care for them, offer them help within our capabilities, and pray for them. May they receive some comfort through our prayers and the selfless assistance we provide to them and no longer suffer from pain and sorrow.
On this Memorial Day of the St. Agnes, the virgin martyr, let us follow the example of this martyred virgin and bear witness to the true faith through our practical actions. St. Agnes, pray for us. Amen.
In today’s gospel, seeing Jesus coming towards him, John exclaims: “Behold the lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world” (v. 29). Why does he define him with so singular an image? There was never a person in the Old Testament called “lamb of God.” The expression marks the culmination of his long and arduous spiritual journey. It started, in fact, from complete ignorance. “I did not know him,” he exclaims twice (vv. 31, 33).
Educated probably among the Essene monks of Qumran, John had assimilated the spirituality of his people. He knew the history and was familiar with the Scriptures. His allusion to the paschal lamb whose blood, placed on the doorposts of the houses in Egypt, had saved their forebears from the slaughter of the exterminating Angel foreshadows the fate of Jesus. One day he would be sacrificed like a lamb. John the Evangelist has certainly wanted to draw this same symbolism: It was, in fact, the hour in which, in the temple, the priest began to sacrifice the lambs.
There is a second reference to the lamb of God in the book of Isaiah, and every Israelite knew it very well—the Servant of the Lord, also mentioned in today’s first reading. Here’s how the prophet describes his move towards death: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter…he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Is 53:7, 12). John applies the imagery to Jesus.
The Baptist has in mind a third biblical call: the lamb is also associated with the sacrifice of Abraham. Isaac, while walking alongside his father to Mount Moriah, asks: “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replies: “God himself will provide the lamb” (Gen 22:7-8).
“Behold the Lamb of God!” the Baptist now answers. It is Jesus, given by God to the world to be sacrificed instead of the sinful man deserving punishment. Like Isaac, he is the only son, the beloved, the one who brings the wood to the place of sacrifice. Jesus, like Isaac, also freely gave his life for love.
At this point, one wonders if indeed the Baptist had in mind all these biblical references when on two occasions, turning to Jesus, he declared: “Behold the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29, 36). Perhaps not, but certainly, John the Evangelist had them in mind. He wanted to offer a catechesis to the Christians of his communities and to us.
In the second part of the passage (vv. 32-34), the testimony of John the Baptist is presented. He recognizes as “Son of God” the one on whom he saw the Spirit descended and remained. The reference is to the baptism scene narrated by the synoptic Gospels (Mk 1:9-11). John introduces, however, a significant detail: the Spirit is not just seen descending upon Jesus but remaining in him.
Through Jesus, the Spirit came into the world. No opposing force will drive or overcome him and from him, the Spirit will be poured out on each person. It is the baptism “in the Holy Spirit” announced by John the Baptist (v. 33).
It is this message of hope and joy that through the Baptist, John, from the very first page of his gospel, wants to announce to the disciples. Despite the apparent overwhelming power of evil in the world, what awaits humanity is the communion of life “with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” These things—John says—I write “so that our joy may be complete” (1 Jn 1:3-4).
您必须登录才能发表评论。