Gospel for the Day: Fishing for Fishermen

John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God."
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher),
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."

John 1

Jesus walks by and the two disciples of John follow Jesus. In modern parlance, this would be called stalking. So Jesus turns and asks what they want. And they ask Jesus where he is staying. (I guess it was a valid question because Jesus was from out of town, after all and the two disciples were natives) Jesus invites them to come and see. 

By simply walking by, Jesus is able to reel in two fishermen (and Peter shortly thereafter). He offers a bait (himself) and reels Andrew and John in by inviting them to come and see where he stays. And they end up staying with him the entire afternoon and the rest of Jesus' life. 

Gospel for the Day: Lamb of God

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

John 1:29

Whenever it gets to the part where we pray the Lamb of God in mass, I often imagine that the sin(s) of the world being referred to are not just the sins confessed in a confessional but the manifestations of the effects of sin on society. Sins both of commission and omission that lead to poverty, environmental destruction, human insecurity in the face of armed conflict and criminality, etc. If I may borrow from a different prayer, it is a request to the Lamb of God to turn then his eyes of mercy towards us and our plight. 


And so we ask God to have mercy on us and in the midst of all the effects of sin, that he might grant us peace. 


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Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.