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Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
On
Thursday August 21, 1879,
fifteen people witnessed an apparition in Knock, County Mayo. It was a most unusual apparition, so
unusual that we might even miss the point. One of the visionaries, Bridget
Trench, explained, “I was so taken with the Blessed Virgin that I did not pay
much attention to any other.” At the center of the gable of the church, the witnesses saw an altar
with a lamb on it,
about the size of a two-month-old lamb. The
lamb was facing Our Lady, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Joseph. Behind the lamb was a large cross on the
altar. It is the only apparition in
the world that I am aware of in which Jesus has come as a lamb. John the Evangelist was preaching;
he had a book in his hand which looked like a Book of the Gospels or Mass Book.
The apparition was really a representation of what takes place at Mass. During every Mass, the Word of God is proclaimed to us in the Liturgy of the
Word, and in the Liturgy of the Eucharist Jesus is offered to the Father in
sacrifice on our behalf. In the apparition at Knock, John was preaching the Word and the
Lamb was being offered on the altar. The
apparition at Knock was to remind us that Jesus is the Lamb of God who, as John
says in our Gospel today, has come to take away the sins of the world (John
1:29).
We are conscious of sin in our own lives and in the world around us. Only Jesus is the solution to our problems. Two thousand years ago Jesus cast out demons in Palestine and Jesus is the one who can conquer all evil and negativity now. What do you do to conquer problems in your life? Some people turn to drink, some to drugs, others turn to all sorts of solutions that really will not solve the problem. These quick-fix solutions leave us with the same problem tomorrow because they are not treating the cause of our problem.
The cause of all our problems is spiritual. That is why when some people come to me with certain problems I give them a prescription, a spiritual prescription. I recommend them to pray as much as possible every day and to go to daily Mass if they are free to do so, and I recommend uplifting passages from the Bible for daily reading. To heal the body we take medicine, and when we are sick in the soul we need to take spiritual medicine. In Jesus’ miracles one example stands out: the paralyzed man let down through the roof. Firstly, Jesus healed his soul by forgiving him his sins and then he healed his body from the paralysis (Luke 5:18-26). In all of our problems we can turn to Jesus, the Lamb of God who has come to take way the sins of the world.
Build your life on Jesus; let Jesus be the foundation of your life. A barista said to me once that he had heard many confessions. I am sure he did, but he could not absolve the sins which a priest does when he hears confessions. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Go to Jesus to be relieved of your burdens. Watching too much TV is a waste of time because it won’t bring real deep peace. Reading magazines and newspapers can also leave us with negative thought patters. Much of what we see on TV and read in magazines and newspapers is not from God. For the peace that you want, go to Jesus. Only Jesus, the Lamb of God can bring us the peace that we need and heal our souls.
During the Hebrews’ last night in Egypt, a lamb was slaughtered by each household for the Passover meal before leaving. The blood was put on the doorframes so that God would pass over their households and not harm them. Jesus, offering his blood to us, is the new Passover lamb whose blood is shed to save us, that God may pass over our sins. During every Mass, Jesus says to us, “This is my Body which will be given up for you. . . This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.” Jesus brings us inner peace and heals our souls because he took all our sinfulness on himself.
The apparition in Knock reminds us that during every Mass Jesus, the Lamb of God, is offered to the Father for us. In every Mass, as we near the time for Holy Communion, we call on the Lamb of God three times: twice to take away our sins and a third time to grant us peace. In response, the priest raises the host and says, “Behold the the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.” In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, we see the liturgy of heaven and Jesus in heaven as the Lamb. So, when we call on Jesus the Lamb of God during Mass, it reminds us that we have heaven on earth. Jesus says to us, “This is my Body which will be given up for you. . . This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.” Blessed are we called to the supper of the Lamb.
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2002
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More homilies for the Second Sunday Year A
Behold Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away our sins 2020
Baptism changes the quality of our souls forever 2011
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world 2008
Can you see Jesus in the crowd?
Related Homilies: The dove at Jesus’ baptism 2018
On taking away the sins of the world: homilies on the Sacrament of Reconciliation