Attracted to conviction

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today touch on the qualities that attract us to follow Jesus.

Attractiveness

The First Letter of John presents a dualism contrasting the follower of Christ who avoids sin with the lawlessness of those who reject Christ.

 * [3:4] Lawlessness: a reference to the activity of the antichrist, so it is expressed as hostility toward God and a rejection of Christ. The author goes on to contrast the states of sin and righteousness. Christians do not escape sin but realize that when they sin they cease to have fellowship with God. Virtue and sin distinguish the children of God from the children of the devil.1

In the Gospel from John, the testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus uses symbols of the Lamb and Dove to convey the impact of the Holy Spirit on his encounter with Jesus.

 * [1:32] Like a dove: a symbol of the new creation (Gn 8:8) or the community of Israel (Hos 11:11). Remain: the first use of a favorite verb in John, emphasizing the permanency of the relationship between Father and Son (as here) and between the Son and the Christian. Jesus is the permanent bearer of the Spirit.2

Fr. George Corrigan, OFM, comments that John may have been identifying Jesus as the apocalyptic warrior lamb referred to in Jewish writings (e.g. 1 Enoch 90:9–12; Testament of Joseph 19:8–9) as did the author of the book of Revelation (Rev. 5:5–10; 17:14), though the latter fused the idea of the powerful lamb/lion of Judah with the sacrificial lamb. By the time the Fourth Gospel was written Jesus had been recognized as the one whose death had atoned for human sins, and the evangelist probably hoped his readers might appreciate its double meaning.

 But there are perhaps even more levels of meaning in the phrase “lamb of God.”John’s teaching on Jesus’ substitutionary atonement builds on the evangelist’s earlier reflection on Jesus’ incarnation. For it is in the flesh that Christ suffered vicariously; his humanity was an indispensable prerequisite for his work on behalf of others. In fact, the atonement theme, far from being absent, is part of the fabric of John’s Gospel: Jesus is the Bread of Life, who will give his flesh for the life of the world (6:51; cf. 6:32–33, 53–58); he is the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep (10:15; cf. 10:17–18); and his sacrifice fulfills Passover symbolism (e.g., 19:14, 31).3

Mike Cherney sees himself as having a life that is blessed in spite of his stupidity and weaknesses.

 I do not feel that I have gotten what I deserve, instead I feel myself protected from the world and from my lesser self by God’s saving love. I also find myself drawn in empathy to those whose life might not have had similar blessings and having patience with those who might have erred.4

Don Schwager quotes “John points to Jesus' saving mission,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

 "No longer does John need to 'prepare the way,' since the one for whom the preparation was being made is right there before his eyes... But now he who of old was dimly pictured, the very Lamb, the spotless Sacrifice, is led to the slaughter for all, that he might drive away the sin of the world, that he might overturn the destroyer of the earth, that dying for all he might annihilate death, that he might undo the curse that is upon us... For one Lamb died for all (2 Corinthians 5:14), saving the whole flock on earth to God the Father, one for all, that he might subject all to God." (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2.1)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:29-34 notes John even confessed that he didn’t recognize Jesus at first; it was only after the Spirit opened his eyes that he was able to say, “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God” (John 1:34).

 God is working everywhere. Jesus is always “coming toward” us with his grace and his blessing, inviting us to share that grace with the people around us (John 1:29). So ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes today so that you can see Jesus. You might be surprised by what he shows you. And don’t worry if you don’t see anything right away. Simply asking the Spirit for this grace is itself a sign that Jesus is at work in you.6

Friar Jude Winkler finds the ideas that we are children of God and we must live in that dignity in the passage from 1 John. John the Baptist witness to Jesus as Lamb of God in Aramaic can be interpreted as Lamb or Servant. Friar Jude explains the dove is the symbol of love in the Hebrew Testament.

Steve Caruso (MLIS) has translated Aramaic languages professionally for over 15 years with a focus upon the Galilean dialect looks at the meaning of lamb.

 I was looking through a rather old book on the subject of Aramaic Primacy (the late C. F. Burney’s “The Aramaic Origin of the Fourth Gospel”) and came across something that I had long since forgotten about the phrase טליא דאלהא (talyâ d’alâhâ) or “The Lamb of God.”
In Galilean Aramaic, not only does talyâ mean “lamb,” but also “child” and “servant.” Burney’s argument was that this choice of words in John was a deliberate pun, which I’m finding more convincing as I research it.7

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Brian McLaren, who shares Fr. Richard’s concern and hope that Christianity can evolve as discussed in his book The Great Spiritual Migration.

 For centuries, Christianity has been presented as a system of beliefs. That system of beliefs has supported a wide range of unintended consequences, from colonialism to environmental destruction, subordination of women to stigmatization of LGBT people, anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, clergy pedophilia to white privilege. What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their faith not as a problematic system of beliefs, but as a just and generous way of life, rooted in contemplation and expressed in compassion, that makes amends for its mistakes and is dedicated to beloved community for all? Could Christians migrate from defining their faith as a system of beliefs to expressing it as a loving way of life?8

The qualities that attract us to Jesus are seen in dignified lives of compassion and service enlightened by a conviction of truth and beauty gifted from the Spirit in our invitation to the Love of the Trinity.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/3
2	(n.d.). John, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/1
3	(2014, January 16). Behold the Lamb of God commentary | friarmusings. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from https://friarmusings.com/2014/01/16/behold-the-lamb-of-god-commentary/
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 3, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(2019, January 3). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/01/03/
7	(2007, October 15). The Lamb of God | The Aramaic New Testament. Retrieved January 3, 2019, from http://aramaicnt.org/2007/10/15/the-lamb-of-god/
8	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved January 3, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01