* Isaiah 49:3,5-6 – *1 Corinthians 1:1-3 – * John 1:29-34
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, leads us along almost the same path as the previous Sunday. Once again, we return to the River Jordan and to the event of Jesus’ baptism. This time, however, we are no longer direct witnesses of the scene itself. Instead, we listen to the testimony of John the Baptist and to his interpretation of what has taken place. This shift in perspective is significant. The Gospel does not merely recount events; it invites us to understand them. And John’s understanding is clear and unequivocal: the Messiah has appeared, salvation is near – indeed, it has already begun.
At first glance, this sounds almost too simple. Perhaps even dangerously familiar. “The time of salvation has come” is a phrase we have heard so often that it can slip past our ears without leaving any real impression. Yet the liturgy of this Sunday does everything it can to shake us out of spiritual routine and to remind us what this proclamation truly means – and how strikingly relevant it remains in a world that speaks incessantly about freedom while experiencing less and less of it in reality.
Consolation
The First Reading is taken from the second part of the Book of Isaiah, commonly known as the Book of Consolation. It was written during one of the darkest periods in Israel’s history: the Babylonian exile. This is not a text born of strength or triumph, but of humiliation, loss of freedom and the collapse of national and religious certainties. And yet, precisely in this context, one of the most powerful visions of the Old Testament emerges: the figure of the Servant of the Lord. The intention of the liturgy is unmistakable. It wants to show that the mission of this Servant is not limited to Israel alone. He is sent not only “to raise up the tribes of Jacob”, but also to be “a light to the nations”, so that God’s salvation may reach “to the ends of the earth”. This prophecy proved too wide, too bold, to be fully explained by reference to any single historical figure of that time. After the exile, Israel did not open itself to the nations; on the contrary, it often withdrew defensively into itself, sometimes even with an attitude of contempt towards the Gentiles. The universal horizon of this text clearly reaches beyond that period, which is why Christians from the very beginning have seen its fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword… He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away”
It is a pity that the liturgy does not include the entire Servant Song. Some of its verses describe Jesus with astonishing precision: “He made my mouth like a sharp sword… He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.” There are swords and arrows here – images of struggle and judgement – but for now they remain concealed. It is as if God were saying: the time for judgement will come later; now is the time for mercy.
Mission
The Servant is despised, rejected, insignificant in the eyes of the powerful, and yet it is precisely to him that God entrusts this mission: “to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’, and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves’.” Notice, that these words sound uncannily contemporary! We live in an age marked by new forms of captivity – often subtle, rarely acknowledged, but deeply real: captivity to fear, manipulation, addiction, abuse, ideological pressure, economic dependence, or social media control. Looking at the recent political events we should probably add to that list a soft and hard political pressure, as well as the intimidation of the smaller and weaker countries by the more powerful ones. Indeed, modern humanity speaks constantly about freedom, yet experiences it less and less.
In his address to representatives of the nations of the world, he warns: ‘Freedom is shrinking’”
Against this background, the symbolic and prophetic resonance of the words delivered recently by Pope Leo XIV becomes striking, where His Holiness criticises ideological language, censorship culture, and rising persecution of believers throughout the world. In his address to representatives of the nations of the world, he warns: “Freedom is shrinking”. Not because laws, constitutions or declarations are lacking, but because freedom detached from truth and goodness eventually turns against the human person. It becomes just a façade – easy to manage, easy to manipulate, easy to market.
In this prophetic vision, the Pope is not speaking only of political freedom, but also of something far deeper: the freedom of the heart, of conscience, and of authentic relationships. It is precisely this freedom that God promises through the prophet Isaiah and that the Lord Jesus comes to restore. Freedom from sin, from fear, from life lived in darkness.
The Gospel of John takes us even further. John the Baptist not only recognises Jesus as the Messiah; he gives him a title that encapsulates the entire mystery of salvation: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. This is no pious metaphor. It is the key to understanding how God has chosen to save humanity.
Sacrifice
The lamb is not a symbol of power, but of sacrifice. Standing later at the foot of the Cross, John the Evangelist would fully grasp the meaning of this title. Seeing that Jesus’ legs were not broken, he suddenly understood an obscure prescription from the Old Testament: “Not one of his bones shall be broken.” Jesus is the true Lamb of the new Passover. His blood does not save only the firstborn of Israel, but all people, of every nation and every age.
Salvation, then, does not come through domination, but through self-emptying. Not through violence, but through love carried to the very end. And this remains the greatest challenge for the Church and for Catholics today.
One detail of the Gospel scene deserves our special attention: the humility of John the Baptist. He knows that he has a mission, but he does not try to claim more than that. He knows he is not the Messiah. He is a witness – nothing more, nothing less. He points to Jesus and then steps aside. This raises an uncomfortable but essential question for us, the members of Christ’s Church: are we witnesses to Christ, or do we sometimes behave as though we were the owners of God? Is the Church a space that leads people into freedom, or can it, through fear, defensiveness or lack of humility, contribute to that freedom’s gradual erosion?
Salvation has already begun. The light is already shining. Freedom has been promised and given”
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time offers no easy answers. It does, however, proclaim a Good News that demands a response: salvation has already begun. The light is already shining. Freedom has been promised and given. The only remaining question is whether we will allow the Lamb of God truly to take away the sin of the world – including the sin that touches our own hearts, our communities and our ways of thinking. Only then will the words “Salvation is already near” cease to sound flat or abstract. And only then will they become reality.
Fr Dominik Domagala studied Theology in Poznan (Poland), acquired a Master’s in History of Liturgy and obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth. His main interests concern the Books of Maccabees. He is the author of the sermon blog “The Social Oblate,” on Facebook and YouTube. Send your questions to: thesocialoblate@icloud.com
