Second Sunday of Year - Cycle A

 

As we read in this morning’s Gospel, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said – ‘Look, there is the Lamb of God’.  Indeed it is good that John invites us to look at Jesus.  But what is Jesus’ immediate re-action when he perceives our gaze?  Is our ability to look at Jesus, an answering gaze because He has first looked deeply into our hearts?

What do we see in this look of Jesus?  Perhaps it is Julian of Norwich who gives us the most beautiful answer to these questions cf. Revelations of Julian of Norwich Chapter 71.

‘Glad and merry and sweet is the wistful and lovely looking of our Lord into our souls.  For  he is ever turned towards us in longing love and it is his will that our souls look gladly to him which is no less than he deserves.’

‘And his dream is that he will lift us up by his grace and draw our outward regard into the inward, and make us all at one with him and with one another’

Julian then goes on to  remind us that there are three ‘lookings’ of our Lord.

The first is the look on his face at his Passion, which was seen while he was still alive, though dying.  His looks then were mournful and sorrowful, yet at the same time they were glad and cheerful for he is God.

The second look is one of tender pity and compassion which he shows to all who love him and who hold on to his mercy.  Here he ceaselessly regards us especially when we fall – a look that would melt our hearts with love and break them with sorrow for having hurt him.

The third is on his Blessed Face as it shall be in eternity – the Look we all long to see.

But for me this wistful looking of Jesus finds expression in that heartbreaking cry of his as he hung dying on the cross. -  ‘I thirst’.

Jesus, may we know deep inside ourselves, something of your thirst for us, then we can begin to understand who you want to be for us and who you want us to be for you. cf. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Mary, may we too join with you while you look up at your Son as he is dying on the cross and hear his word  -  ‘I thirst’  - may we see his wistful look and learn from you to return him love for love  -  to look closely and behold the Lamb of God.