His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Diocese of Belleville
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 18, 2026, 9:00 AM Mass
St. Luke Parish
“Behold the Lamb of God: Here am I, Lord; Send Me”
(John in 1:29-34)
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Last Sunday in Matthew 3:13-17 the Church, somewhat abruptly, turned our attention away from the birth of Jesus and asked us to get Jesus out of the manger and into the world by looking at the adult Jesus, plunged into the Jordan river for His Jewish baptism of repentance by His kinsman, John the Baptist, bringing Christmastide to a close with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Today, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the author of the Gospel of John in 1:29-34 deliberately ignores the baptism of Jesus. He tells us, “John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, (though Luke says they were relatives.) but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit come down, He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Now I have seen (Him), and I testify that He is the Son of God.”
John's Gospel omits Jesus's baptism because from John’s perspective of Jesus's unique superior divine identity, it is beneath the dignity of the one who John called the Son of God who baptizes with the Holy Spirit to be baptized in John’s baptism of repentance for sin. This is the same reason why the Gospel of John ignores Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, a story detailed in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John does not think it is fitting to acknowledge that the Son of God endured temptations.
John the Baptist announces that Jesus is not the conquering king the Jewish people expected, but the “sacrificial Lamb.” stressing that Jesus is the ultimate sacrificial Passover Lamb, and Suffering Servant fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. Jesus is the one who brings hope and salvation to us and to all who love Him. His sacrificial death ends the repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament. Jesus, the Lamb, pours out God’s abundant love us on all.
John the Baptist sees Jesus, the Lamb of God, as the source of hope for a fallen world, the ultimate victory over sin, guilt, and shame in our personal lives and in our dystopian world. The Baptist’s role is to invite all of us to “Come and see” Jesus and then urge all of us “go and show” “Jesus to the members of our families, to our fellow parishioners, and to the world by our actions. John like St. James in his Epistle believes that faith without good works, is dead. Our belief that Jesus is the Lamb of God compels us to live by that belief.
It is timely that, we hear the words “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” at the start of this New Year, anno domini 2026. We need to hear the call to come and see Jesus and the command to go and show him to the world by expressing our faith in Christ, the Lamb, by doing good works for justice and peace.
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On Thursday, January 15th, we marked the 97th anniversary of the birth of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was brutally murdered on April 4, 1968. Pope St. Paul VI called Reverend King an innocent lamb of God led to the slaughter in the cause of racial justice in the United States. It is apparent to all who have eyes to see that the dream he had remains a dream deferred. We show Jesus, the Lamb of God, to the world by continuing Dr. King’s good works for justice!
Today, January 18th to the 25th is the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV said yesterday that “the unity of Christ’s Church is not a mere ideal or hope> It is the mandate from Christ Himself who prayed “that all may be One.” We must work for that unity for as long as it takes without knowing exactly what form that unity will take. We know that many, if not most American Catholics have all but abandoned interest in and hope for Christian unity that caused so much excitement during the first 25 years after Pope St. John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Imagine the impact on our world if all Christians spoke with one voice (in one Church?) in the face of war, conflict, autocratic governments, ethnic and racial division. We show Jesus, the Lamb of God, to the world by continuing to work for the unity that Christ wills for His Church!
On Thursday, January 22nd, we mark the 53rd anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion as a constitutional right. This legalization of abortion resulted in the destruction of countless thousands of developing human lives in their mothers’ wombs and has led to fierce debates about the legality and the morality of the ruling. On June 24th, 2022, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, declaring that this issue must be determined by each state, resulting in different, conflicting laws from state to state. The ongoing American quarrel concerning abortion has led to conflicting views dividing churches, courts, and families. We show Jesus, the Lamb of Gpd, to the world by continuing to work for the protection of every human life from conception to death!
Paradoxically, there are many American Catholics who are devoted to the causes of freedom, equality, and racial justice for which Dr. King died who see no connection between their cause and the causes of those who are concerned about bringing an end to abortions in this country, since, they wrongly argue, abortion is a personal choice. And, conversely, there are many American Catholics, who rightly work to bring an end to the scourge of abortion seem indifferent to the work for racial justice and oblivious to the persistence of racial prejudice in the United States since, they wrongly argue that all the goals of the Civil Rights movement have been achieved.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
This morning, we sang, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will” as our psalm response. This is exactly what our response should be to John the Baptist’s words, “Behold the lamb of God wo takes away the sins of the world!”
In this New Year, Jesus, the Lamb of God calls each of us to spiritual renewal in our personal Lives. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! In this New Year, Jesus, the Lamb of God calls each of us to address with faith and hope problems in our family lives. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! In this New Year, Jesus, the Lamb of God calls each of us to find ways to overcome biases and prejudices in our lives. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! In this New year, Jesus, the Lamb of God calls each of us to learn about and contribute to the unity which Christ wills for His Church. Hear am I, Lord; I come to do your will! In this New year, Jesus, the lamb of God, calls each of us to find some way to express our concern for the protection of all human life. Her am I Lord; I come to do your will!
In this New Year of Our Lord, 2026, there is an urgent need for Christians everywhere to proclaim by words and deeds:
HERE WE ARE, LORD; WE COME TO DO YOUR WILL!
Praised be Jesus Christ.
Both Now and forever. AMEN!